A man was lynched in Baruipur, South 24-Parganas, on Sunday by a crowd that accused him of involvement in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, triggering violence whose ripple effects were felt in Calcutta with a massive police and paramilitary force allegedly disallowing Mamata Banerjee from visiting the spot.
The Baruipur crowd, which hurled stones at cops when they resorted to a lathi-charge, vandalised a police outpost and blocked a road and railway tracks, accused a local BJP leader of using his influence to persuade cops to release one of the suspects who had been detained.
The protesters alleged that four men associated with the BJP had abducted the minor on Saturday, raped and murdered her. The BJP deniedall allegations.
In Calcutta, a huge police and paramilitary contingent was deployed in front of former chief minister Mamata’s Kalighat home and barricades were put up, with the Trinamool chief alleging she had virtually been put under “house arrest” to stop her from going to Baruipur.
The police said the identity of the man who was beaten to death was yet to be established. Police sources said a group arrived at Baruipur police station and “snatched” one of the suspects whom locals had handed over to cops. The protesters, however, alleged that local BJP leader Santanu Mondal put pressure on the police and got the suspect released.
Although some initial reports had suggested that the man who was lynched was the person who had been whisked away from police custody, cops later said they were different individuals.
The unrest brought road and rail traffic to a standstill for nearly five hours, with protesters blocking the Sealdah-Namkhana railway line and the arterial Kulpi Road demanding the immediate arrest of all those involved in the atrocities on the minor.
According to family members, the girl had left home on Saturday afternoon to buy food but did not return. Her body was found floating in a pond in the neighbourhood on Sunday morning, prompting allegations of rape and murder and sparking widespread protests.
Hundreds of villagers assembled on Kulpi Road with the body, refusing to budge until the suspects were arrested. The situation turned violent when the police attempted to clear the road and rail blockades. The protesters allegedly hurled stones at the police, forcing them to resort to a lathi-charge.
The agitation intensified after some residents alleged that one of the suspects who had been caught by villagers and handed over to the police had been freed on the orders of the BJP’s Mondal.
Senior police officers rushed to the spot and deployed a large force. IG (Presidency Range) Kankar Prosad Barui assured the agitating villagers that those behind the crime would be brought to justice.
“All those involved will be arrested. We will make every possible effort to ensure the highest punishment for the culprits,” he said. “The chief minister, too, has assured the victim’s parents that no one connected with the case willbe spared.”
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, sources said, had assured the family of justice and asked them to meet him at Bhabani Bhavan on Tuesday.
Mamata, who spoke to the bereaved family of the minor over the phone, was seen in a video clip shared by Trinamool leaders saying that she had planned to go to Baruipur. “But a large number of police and jawans, including women personnel, were deployed.... They officially said nothing, but it was actually similar to house arrest,” Mamata said.
Police sources said there was information that Mamata might go to Baruipur to meet the family of the deceased girl. “The force was deployed to ensure that there was no law and order problem,” an officer of Kolkata Police said.
Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand did not respond to text messages sent by this newspaper till late on Sunday on the sudden deployment of forces outside the homes of Mamata and Abhishek.
Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee posted on X: “BJP doesn’t just fail women, it fosters a climate where those accused of heinous crimes appear to believe they enjoy political protection.”
