Kolkata, Apr 13 (PTI) The ruling TMC in West Bengal on Wednesday slammed the BJP over the formation of a committee to visit Hanskhali in Nadia district, where a minor girl died after allegedly being raped earlier in the month, and claimed that it was an attempt on the part of the saffron camp to influence the CBI probe.

TMC state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh sought to know if the party would have formed a similar panel if the case had happened in some BJP-ruled state.

Also Read | Punjab: Organs of 4-Year-Old Brain-Dead Boy Help Save Lives of Three Patients.

"Whenever such incidents take place in Bengal, they (BJP) form a fact-finding committee. This fact-finding committee aims to set guidelines for the central agency on how the probe should be conducted and how to accuse the state government. The BJP did something similar after the recent Birbhum incident," Ghosh stated.

BJP president J P Nadda has formed a five-member committee of the party's women members to visit Hanskhali and enquire into the incident.

Also Read | Maharashtra Bestiality Shocker: Bengal Monitor Lizard Gang-Raped in Sahydari Tiger Reserve, Four Arrested.

Continuing his tirade against the saffron camp, Ghosh said, "No one is trying to shield the culprits. We have always condemned such heinous crimes. But we would like to know if the BJP would send similar teams to Uttar Pradesh, where rape cases were reported from Hathras and Unnao. They would never do so," Ghosh said.

Dubbing his allegations as "baseless", BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, one of the members of the panel, claimed that chief ministers in saffron party-ruled states asked law enforcers to act without bias.

"Allegations of influencing the CBI are baseless. As for sending teams to BJP-ruled states, chief ministers there ask the police to act impartially, unlike in West Bengal, where the role of the police is to shield the culprits," she said.

The minor girl, a student of Class 9, was allegedly raped on April 4 at a birthday party at the house of a TMC panchayat official's son in Hanskhali, according to a police complaint filed by her parents.

She bled to death hours later, the complaint said.

Two persons, including the TMC leader's son, have been arrested thus far.

The Calcutta High Court recently ordered a CBI probe into the incident.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on April 11 expressed doubt over the cause of the minor girl's demise, which her family attributed to gang rape, and wondered if she died after being slapped by someone.

Claiming that the victim was in a relationship with the accused, Banerjee also wondered if she was pregnant

The CM's remarks have triggered a row in the state, with the CPI(M) seeking an apology from her.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)