Kolkata: One of the suspects in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl was killed in an encounter with police late on Tuesday in Baruipur, a southern suburb of Kolkata. Police said Pravash Mondal was being taken to the site for a reconstruction of the crime around midnight when he allegedly tried to grab an officer’s firearm and escape, triggering the shooting, according to NDTV.
Mondal was one of three men arrested after the child’s body was discovered wrapped in a sack and dumped in a pond in Baruipur. The other two detained suspects have been named as Ananda Sardar and Dibakar Sardar; officials say both “had confessed” to their involvement. A fourth man, Kabir Mollah, was picked up from Basirhat on Tuesday, police added.
Violent protests followed the discovery of the girl’s body on Sunday, with residents in the southern suburbs damaging railway tracks and police vehicles in demonstrations of anger and grief.
Protests, arrests And Lynching
At least 20 people have been arrested in connection with the vandalism, and authorities say some of those detained were involved in the lynching of an unrelated man, Indrajit Mondal, who was beaten to death after being wrongly suspected of taking part in the sexual assault and killing. The arrests came a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the families of the victim and the lynching victim in Baruipur.
CM Adhikari told reporters that police had identified 200 people he accused of instigating the unrest. “Not a single person will be spared. The government will teach them proper lessons,” he said.
Police Say Crime Was Pre-Planned
Police earlier described the gangrape and murder as a planned act. Investigators say Mondal had been assigned to lure the girl to a secluded spot where the other suspects were waiting. After the attack, the men put her in a sack and dumped her in a pond. The autopsy indicated the girl had been alive when placed in the water, with water found in her lungs, officials said.
State Orders Probe, Directions For Safety
The chief minister has instructed all police stations across the district to take the strictest precautions to prevent violence against women and asked Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta to file a report within 72 hours outlining the sequence of events and progress in the investigation.
Political Reaction
The case has also taken on a political dimension, with the Trinamool Congress accusing police of trying to shield the principal accused.
