Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday mentioned the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl and the lynching of a teenage boy identified as a suspect by the attackers in the same breath and promised that people involved in both will be punished.
Suvendu on Tuesday met the families of both the brutalised girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered, and the boy. And he offered compensation to both.
“Regarding compensation, I have left it to the two families. I will come back in a week. Whatever they have asked for, and whatever the government will do, you all will be able to see. The family has requested an outpost at Suryapur, which we will consider,” the chief minister said about the talks he had with the two families.
After a meeting at the office of the Baruipur police superintendent, the chief minister gave a clean chit to the teenager beaten to death and said he was told by the police that the boy was “innocent”.
The chief minister said he gave 72 hours to the Bengal director-general of police to complete administrative procedures and submit a report.
“The missing diary was registered at 11.50pm (on Saturday). The events that happened after that, I have analysed minute by minute in the presence of the camp-in-charge, the then IC (inspector-in-charge) Baruipur, the SDPO (subdivisional police officer), and the additional superintendent in the presence of the SP (superintendent), IG (inspector-general) and the DGP (director-general of police). We have analysed our part. I have given the DGP 72 hours. He will submit a report following administrative protocol. Then, we will take administrative action,” Suvendu said.
“If negligence is found on the part of our people, even if it is 1 per cent, very strong action would be taken,” he added.
Police sources said the roles of at least four personnel, starting from those in the outpost to a zonal officer, were under the scanner.
The prime suspect, Ananda Sardar, fled from inside the outpost, and the then inspector in charge of Baruipur allegedly reached the scene of violence around three hours after the girl’s body had been found, sources said. Sardar was arrested several hours later at his in-laws’ place.
That the prime accused did not even try to flee the place suggests to many that he was fairly confident of getting away with the crime.
The body of the 12-year-old girl, who was reported missing on Saturday, was brought out on Sunday morning from a pond where it was packed in a gunny bag and dumped.
The preliminary post-mortem opinion revealed that the girl was gang-raped and murdered. There were injuries on her head and neck but the cause of death was drowning. “This means she was alive when she was thrown into the water. Had she been dead, there would not have been water and mud in her lungs,” a police investigator said.
The police said on Tuesday they had yet to get the formal post-mortem report.
Residents have alleged that the police did little to search for the girl in the first few hours. Neighbours started their own search and located two of the accused after analysing CCTV footage.
There has been no visible action against anyone from the police yet.
Sources said the chief minister wanted to suspend some of the officers on Tuesday itself, but he finally gave the DGP 72 hours.
Speaking to reporters, Suvendu suggested that the family had confidence in
the police.
“I am personally very satisfied that the family of the 12-year-old girl has shown confidence in the police... in the CM. This is a big achievement for me. Those who have lynched the innocent boy will be booked for murder. Specific instructions have been given to the police that those who were involved in the day-long hooliganism will face action,” Suvendu said, addressing all three cases simultaneously.
A relative told TV reporters that the police had helped the accused flee.
Suvendu said: “After becoming the chief minister, I suspended three top IPS officers.”
The IPS officers were suspended in connection with the 2024 rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
A young man identified by residents as one of the assaulters was lynched by a mob on Sunday. Suvendu said the man was innocent. “I am not the investigator. The police have told me the young man who was lynched was innocent.”
“Those who have lynched the innocent boy will be booked for murder. Specific instructions have been given to the police that those who were involved in the day-long hooliganism will face action. Three cops were injured. Those who have instigated the violence for political reasons, for media coverage and cheap views will also not be spared,” the chief minister said.
