Calcutta HC seeks report from police over āencounter killingā of Baruipur rape-murder accused
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought a detailed report from the Baruipur district police in connection with the āencounter killingā of Prabhash Mondal, the
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought a detailed report from the Baruipur district police in connection with the āencounter killingā of Prabhash Mondal, the main accused in the rape and murder of a minor girl. A Division Bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Partha Sarathi Chattopadhyay passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation plea filed by advocate Shiladitya Rakshit. It claimed that the policeās statements in connection with the āencounter killingā were āfabricatedā. Around 12.45 a.m. on July 8, a team from the Baruipur police station took the accused to the encounter spot for the reconstruction of the crime scene.
The police said the accused allegedly snatched the service weapon of a police officer, fired one round at the police team, and attempted to flee. Prima facie, the autopsy report found two bullets in the body of the accused fired by Inspector Arghya Mondal, officials said. Preliminary investigation into the rape and murder case suggested that the accused had abducted the girl and raped her before throwing her into a pond, according to officials. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the crime after the 12-year-old girlās body was fished out of a pond on July 5 in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
The incident sparked a violent protest in the area, with an angry mob killing a person over suspicion of his involvement in the crime. Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya told the court that the police failed to arrange sufficient security measures at the reconstruction site that led to the mishap. He also questioned the timing of the crime reconstruction late at night amid adverse weather conditions. Advocate General Rajdeep Majumder argued that the police had to shoot in self-defence.
He said the police also registered a suo motu FIR and the matter is being probed by the Criminal Investigation Department. The case will be heard again on August 18.
The BriefWire