The prime accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur was shot dead by police early Tuesday after he snatched a policeman's firearm and opened fire while being taken to the crime scene for reconstruction, officials said.
According to police, a team from Baruipur Police Station left the station at around 12.45 am with accused Prabash Mondal to reconstruct the sequence of events at Surjyapur, where the victim's body was recovered.
Just before the reconstruction began, Mondal grabbed the service weapon of a police personnel, fired one round at the police team and attempted to flee. Police retaliated by opening fire, injuring the accused. He was rushed to Baruipur Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Prabash Mondal was among the three accused arrested after the body of a minor girl, who went missing on July 4, was found stuffed in a sack in a pond in Baruipur, triggering violent protests by locals. Enraged locals staged protests by blocking the Baruipur-Joynagar Road, setting tyres on fire and vandalising police vehicles while demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.
Hours after the girl's body was recovered, an angry mob lynched a man, later identified as Indrajit Mondal, suspecting him of involvement in the crime. Police have since arrested three people in connection with the case and constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a detailed probe.
Amid mounting public anger, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday directed Director General of Police Sidd Nath Gupta to submit a report on the case within 72 hours and said strict action would be taken if any negligence was found in the investigation.
The chief minister also said that Indrajit Mondal, who was killed in the mob attack, was innocent based on the police's findings and assured that his family would receive justice.
"We have examined the entire matter. I have conducted a primary analysis. I asked the DGP to submit a report within 72 hours. We will take strict action accordingly. If there is any negligence on the time taken after the complaint was lodged, even if it is one per cent, action will be taken," Adhikari told reporters after meeting the victim's family at the South 24 Parganas Superintendent of Police's office.
He said around 200 people involved in vandalising public property, damaging police vehicles and railway tracks during the protests had been identified and would be arrested. Those involved in the lynching of the innocent man would face murder charges, he added.
The chief minister also said the victim's family had requested the establishment of a police outpost at Surjyapur, which he promised to inaugurate during his next visit to Baruipur. He added that the family had sought compensation and other assistance, which would be announced after he meets both affected families again within a week.
Adhikari also claimed that people linked to opposition parties and "radical and anti-national forces" had instigated the violence, claiming investigators had collected evidence, including call recordings, against those responsible.
Later in the day, Adhikari visited police personnel injured during the violence and assured them of all possible support from the state administration. Family members of both the deceased girl and the lynching victim said they were satisfied with the chief minister's assurances and commitment to ensure justice.
