Baruipur in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas continued to be on edge on Monday, a day after a girl child was allegedly raped and murdered, and a youth was lynched on suspicion of being involved in the crime.
Police have so far arrested three persons – Ananda Sardar, Pravash Mondol, and Dibakar Sardar – in connection with the rape and murder case, and have imposed prohibitory orders in Baruipur and two nearby areas – Sonarpur and Narendrapur.
Sources in the police said that they are looking for the fourth suspect in the case, but refused to reveal his identity.
Initially, the police had registered a murder case in connection with the death of the girl, whose body was found in a pond. Following the post-mortem, police added charges of gangrape under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“The preliminary postmortem report revealed that the girl had severe injuries, confirming sexual assault. She was alive when she was dumped in the pond since the postmortem report confirmed antemortem drowning with water in her lungs,” a senior police officer said.
Police arrested Pravash Mondol on Sunday, hours after the villagers protested and ransacked police vehicles.
“After interrogating Pravash, we arrested Dibakar Sardar and Ananda Sardar on Monday. Ananda Sardar is suspected of having played a key role in the crime. They were produced before the court and sent to 14-day police custody,” said a senior police officer.
“We are looking for a fourth criminal who was also allegedly involved in the crime and is currently absconding. We are questioning the three arrested accused to know his whereabouts… Raids are on to arrest him. All the culprits will be arrested. We urge people not to pay heed to rumours,” added the senior police officer.
According to the police, the girl’s family said that Ananda Sardar was a rickshaw-van puller and was associated with their business. “The girl may have gone with Pravash, as seen in the CCTV footage, after hearing the name of Ananda. We are also verifying why the accused killed her… We are not ruling out the child-trafficking angle in this case,” the officer said.
Angry locals also ransacked the house of a local BJP leader, Shantanu Mondol, alleging that he helped the accused to flee from police custody.
Meanwhile, under fire from the Opposition and civil rights groups, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday asserted that the girl’s family will get “justice” and said that his government would push for “capital punishment” for those involved in the crime. He also said that the lynching of 26-year-old Indrajit Mondol had a communal connection.
“A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed… After the incident, I spoke to the father of the victim. Whatever the family has asked for, we will deliver… We will give justice to the family. We will go for capital punishment of the culprits. However, there has been a mob lynching too. I am not giving a clean chit, but the lynching had a communal angle. Police vehicles were torched, and two Central forces jawans were injured. There was an attempt to block the railway lines. In these cases, too, we will take action,” Adhikari, who is set to visit Baruipur on Tuesday, told mediapersons in Kolkata.
“I will visit Baruipur tomorrow (Tuesday) and meet the girl’s father. We will also probe into the role of the police after the missing diary was lodged. If police officers are found to be irresponsible, action will be taken. There will be no compromise,” Adhikari, who was sworn in as the chief minister two months ago, added.
A delegation of TMC leaders from the Mamata Banerjee camp and the CPI(M) met the family of the girl separately. The TMC delegation of Mamata loyalists included Dola Sen, Pratima Mondol, and Biman Banerjee. “Mamata Banerjee has already spoken with the family. We are standing with the family. We have assured them that we will provide whatever they need,” said TMC MP Pratima Mondol.
Later, Mamata Banerjee held a candlelight march in Kolkata, seeking justice for the girl. The rally circled Kalighat Road before culminating in front of her residence. A large posse of police personnel was deployed in the area.
CPI(M) Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty, who met the family of the girl along with Samik Lahiri, hit out at the BJP government and the police. “The police are incompetent and worthless. If the police had acted properly, the innocent girl could have been saved. The entire state is shouting for justice for Baruipur. We will hit the streets in protest,” he said.
Violent protests erupted at Baruipur, around 30 km from Kolkata, on Sunday morning after a minor girl, missing since Saturday afternoon, was found dead in a pond. A mob allegedly lynched a local man suspected of being involved in the crime after the girl’s family alleged she was raped and murdered before her body was dumped in the pond.
Angry locals initially refused to hand over the minor’s body to the police and blocked key transportation routes.
The mob also set several vehicles on fire. Train services on the Sealdah-Namkhana line were completely disrupted for about an hour due to the protests. Road traffic also remained suspended for nearly five hours as locals sat in protest on the streets with the girl’s body. One policeman was admitted to the hospital.
A massive contingent of security personnel, including the Central forces, was deployed in the area.