Another individual, Sakim Lashkar, has been apprehended on Wednesday in connection with the lynching incident in Baruipur, West Bengal, where a youth was killed following the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl on July 5. Lashkar is set to appear before a district court in South 24 Parganas, with the prosecution seeking his police custody.
The total number of arrests in this case has now risen to eight individuals. Authorities have identified more individuals directly involved in the lynching of 26-year-old Indrajit Tanti, who are currently evading capture. The police are actively pursuing these suspects, indicating that additional arrests related to the mob lynching are expected in the near future.
Police have filed cases against the seven previously arrested individuals under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, encompassing charges such as unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing a public servant’s duties, causing harm to a public person, and murder by lynching. Similar charges will be pressed against the latest arrestee.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari recently visited Baruipur, presenting a compensation check of Rs 25 lakh to the family of the deceased youth. The victim, who had been exonerated in the case of the minor girl’s rape and murder by the police, was declared innocent. The Chief Minister also pledged a job as a civic volunteer in the state police for the victim’s elder brother and attributed the mob lynching to individuals rejected by the public in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.
The authorities have initiated three separate cases in connection with the Baruipur incident. The first case pertains to the alleged rape and murder of the minor girl, the second focuses on the mob lynching of the youth, and the third addresses the widespread violence in the area, including the vandalism of property like railway tracks and police vehicles, as well as attacks on and injuries to police personnel. To date, 42 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violence.
In the case of the minor girl’s rape and murder, four individuals have been arrested thus far. One of the suspects, Pravas Mondal, was killed in a confrontation while attempting to flee police custody by seizing a law enforcement officer’s firearm.
