A 29-year-old man, who tried to protect his woman friend from harassment by three men in a deserted neighbourhood in New Town early on Thursday, was beaten to death.
Sanket Chatterjee, who received multiple stitches on his head after being beaten with a bamboo log, died from the injuries in a hospital hours later on Thursday.
The incident was reported at Gauranganagar in New Town after 1.30am on Thursday.
The deceased was an air-conditioner technician attached to an app service for online booking of repair services, police said.
“Preliminary inquiry has revealed that Sanket had a fight with his friend who decided to walk out of an apartment they shared at 1.30am. The woman walked out of the apartment and started walking on a deserted stretch when three men who were sitting near the main road confronted her,” said an officer of New Town police station.
The three men started following and harassing the woman.
Sanket, who had also stepped out of the apartment looking for the woman, tried to intervene when he saw the men harassing her.
“The three accused men started beating Sanket as he tried to help his friend and protested her being harassed. They got hold of a thick bamboo log and hit him on the head with it. Sanket lost consciousness on the spot. The accused trio fled,” said the officer.
The woman alerted their friends and family.
Sanket was first taken to a government hospital in Salt Lake.
Later, he was referred to NRS Medical College and Hospital where he died around 8am, the police said.
The matter was reported to New Town police station and a search was launched for the accused trio.
The police arrested the men. They were identified as Sagar Das, Raju Ghosh and Sambhu Mandal.
“All three have been booked and charged under sections of murder. They
were produced before the court on Thursday and have been remanded in police
custody for 10 days,” said deputy commissioner (New Town) of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, Manav Singla.
In 2011, 16-year-old Rajeeb Das was beaten to death after he tried to resist when
a group of men were harassing his elder sister while returning from her office in
Barasat.
Das had been punched and kicked indiscriminately causing him fatal injuries.