Beldanga (Murshidabad), April 22: A young widow who became pregnant after a relationship with a local youth allegedly committed suicide last night after a kangaroo court let off the man with a fine and asked her to leave the village without her two children.

Samina Bewa’s headless torso was found off the railway tracks near Beldanga station in Murshidabad. The 30-year-old woman lived in nearby Shitalpara with mother-in-law Afroza, a five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter. Her husband Majirul died five years ago.

Village elders held the shalishi (reconciliation) meeting after they came to know Samina was expecting.

They asked Samir Sheikh, 25, to pay Rs 25,000 to Samina and ordered her out of the village within a day, leaving behind her children.

The high court had earlier asked district police chiefs to take “stern action” against those who conduct such courts. Ironically, that stricture also followed a Murshidabad incident. The panchayat at Suti had let off an alleged rapist with a fine of Rs 5,000.

Murshidabad superintendent of police B.L. Meena said: “The case (Samina’s death) is now with the Government Railway Police but we will also look into it keeping the court order in mind.”

Samir did not even pay the fine slapped on him. He only promised to deposit the money with the village elders later, said a resident of Shitalpara, about 180km from Calcutta.

Hearing about the death, one of those who sat in jury at the kangaroo court admitted his mistake.

“We have done injustice to the girl. At the meeting, no one even proposed that Samir and Samina be asked to get married. Had we done that, this tragedy could have been avoided. I was one of judges and can’t shrug off responsibility,” said Asai Mondal, 60, an affluent farmer.

Asai added that the verdict was reached by consensus and he was party to it.

Mother-in-law Afroza, too, said she would have been happy had Samir and Samina been asked to get married. “My grandchildren wouldn’t have lost their mother,” the 60-year-old widow said. The children are too young to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

Seven of the eight men who had conducted the “court” are rich farmers, each owning over six acres. The other is the village grocer.

All of them are still in the village but police haven’t picked up any of them, not even for questioning.

No one is likely to lodge a complaint against the village elders, either. Samina’s younger brother Sherful said he was ashamed of her conduct. “We have lost our face,” said Sherful, 27, a small farmer at nearby Debkundu village.

S.K. Mondal, the railway police officer in charge of Behrampore, said: “We went to the village today. If we find Samina had been forced to commit suicide, we will take appropriate action.”

Samir and his mother have gone missing.