Baruipur violence: 22 more held over lynching, attacks on police after girl’s death

West Bengal Police on Thursday said they had arrested 22 more people over the violence that broke out in Baruipur after the death of a 12-year-old girl, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 42.

The latest arrests are linked to the lynching of a young man, attacks on police personnel, vandalism of public property, including police vehicles, and damage to railway tracks during the unrest in South 24 Parganas district.

The violence erupted after the body of the minor girl was found in a pond in the Suryapur area of Baruipur on Sunday morning. Police said tensions escalated soon after, with an angry mob attacking 26-year-old Indrajit Tanti on suspicion of involvement in the girl’s death. He was later lynched.

Subsequent police investigation found that Tanti had no role in the crime, prompting the state government to describe him as innocent.

Following the lynching, large-scale violence broke out in the area, with mobs targeting police vehicles and railway property. Several police personnel were also injured while trying to bring the situation under control.

Police said the fresh arrests were made as part of an ongoing operation to identify those involved in the lynching and the subsequent violence. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said that those responsible for the crime against the girl, as well as those involved in mob violence and vandalism, would face action.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the girl’s rape and murder is continuing. On Wednesday, one of the four accused arrested in the case, Pravas Mondal, was killed in a police encounter after allegedly attempting to escape by snatching a policeman’s firearm.

The prime accused, Ananda Sardar, remains in police custody. The two other arrested accused are Kabir Molla and Dibakar Sardar, with Molla being the latest to be taken into custody in the murder case.

With IANS inputs