Arbaz, Sarfaraz, Imran and Arfad Arrested for Gang-Raping 2 Minor Hindu Girls After Taking Them Pandal-Hopping, Recording Their Sexual Assault and Abandoning the Victims at Deviganj Market of Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal

The gang-rape of two 15-year-old Hindu girls in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district is a devastating indictment of the vulnerability of children, the brutality of sexual violence and the urgent need for justice that is swift and uncompromising.

According to a complaint filed by Bijoy Sarkar at Goalpokher Police Station on October 21, Muhammad Arbaz, Muhammad Sarfaraz and two or three other alleged associates had taken the two girls on 20th October to visit Durga Puja pandals.

The complaint alleges that the girls were taken to an isolated location, grabbed from behind, indecently touched, molested and gang-raped. According to Sarkar, his daughter suffered severe bleeding. The accused had recorded videos of the assault.

The girls were abandoned in front of Debiganj market at approximately 3 a.m. on October 21. Their families reportedly learnt of their whereabouts only the following morning, receiving information by telephone before hearing the girls recount their ordeal.

Responsible Police personnel had launched an immediate manhunt, arresting Muhammad Sarfaraz and Muhammad Arbaz on October 21. Two additional accused, Muhammad Arfad and Muhammad Imran, were arrested on October 22.

The Uttar Dinajpur assault must serve as a grim warning to Hindu parents about the importance of teaching minor girls to never accompany any unfamiliar person and any Muslim without informing their families. Parents must exercise sound judgment, assess potential risks carefully and make informed decisions before granting permission.

Credible, documented evidence of organised networks engaging in the targeting, grooming or exploitation of Hindu women and girls must be taken with the seriousness it deserves. Such allegations and evidence deserve rigorous scrutiny, not reflexive dismissal as a “conspiracy theory” simply because they challenge the assumptions of sections of the academic establishment. Vigilance is not paranoia and demanding accountability is not bigotry.