Malda: A woman was allegedly gang-raped and killed while another was severely injured in an attack near the Bengal-Bihar border on Wednesday afternoon.The two women, residents of Doulatnagar village under Harishchandrapur Police Station in Malda, had gone to collect grass from a forested area in Gobindapur village in Bihar’s Katihar district. According to police, attackers allegedly intercepted the women and dragged one of them away. When the second woman tried to intervene, she was attacked with a sickle.The assailants allegedly dragged the first woman into nearby bushes, where she was gang-raped and later killed with a sharp weapon before the attackers fled.The injured woman managed to return to her village and alerted local residents, who subsequently found the victim’s body. Police from Harishchandrapur and Amdabad reached the spot. The survivor was admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital, while Amdabad police launched an investigation into the murder.On Thursday, hundreds of residents of Doulatnagar, mostly women, staged protests demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. Protesters blocked the Bengal-Bihar Highway by burning tyres, disrupting traffic.Harishchandrapur TMC MLA Matiur Rehman criticised the opposition over women’s safety in the border region. BJP MP Khagen Murmu said police from both states had launched a joint investigation and expressed confidence that the culprits would be arrested soon.
