Police shot dead the principal suspect in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur during the early hours of Tuesday after he allegedly seized a police officer's firearm, fired at the escort team and tried to escape while being taken for a reconstruction of the crime, officials said.
Investigators said a team from Baruipur Police Station departed the station at about 12.45 am with accused Prabash Mondal to recreate the events at Surjyapur, the location where the girl's body had been recovered.
Police said that moments before the reconstruction exercise commenced, Mondal snatched the service weapon of a police personnel, fired a shot at the officers and attempted to run away. The police team responded by opening fire, leaving him injured. He was taken to Baruipur Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Prabash Mondal was one of three people arrested after the body of the minor, who had been missing since July 4, was discovered inside a sack in a pond in Baruipur. The recovery sparked widespread outrage, with residents blocking the Baruipur-Joynagar Road, burning tyres and damaging police vehicles while demanding the swift arrest of those behind the crime.
Within hours of the body's recovery, an enraged crowd lynched a man later identified as Indrajit Mondal after suspecting him of involvement in the case. Police subsequently arrested three accused and formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to carry out a detailed investigation.
Amid growing public outrage, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday instructed Director General of Police Sidd Nath Gupta to submit a report on the incident within 72 hours, saying strict measures would follow if the probe revealed any lapse.
The chief minister also stated that police findings indicated Indrajit Mondal, who was killed by the mob, was innocent and assured that justice would be delivered to his family.
"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.
Adhikari further said the victim's family had appealed for a police outpost to be established at Surjyapur, adding that he would inaugurate it during his next visit to Baruipur. He also said the family had requested compensation and other forms of assistance, which would be announced after he meets both affected families again within a week.
The chief minister also alleged that individuals associated with opposition parties and "radical and anti-national forces" had fuelled the violence, claiming investigators had gathered evidence, including call recordings, against those allegedly responsible.
Later on Tuesday, Adhikari met police personnel who were injured during the unrest and assured them of full support from the state administration. Relatives of both the murdered girl and Indrajit Mondal said they were satisfied with the chief minister's assurances and his commitment to securing justice.
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