Kolkata: The body of a 10-year-old girl, allegedly raped and murdered, was found in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, after which locals torched a police outpost and vandalised vehicles parked there, a senior officer said. Police said one person has been arrested in connection with the rape and murder incident.
Villagers said the girl had been missing since Friday evening, and the police "did not act on their complaint immediately". After the body of the girl was recovered by locals from a marshy land in Jaynagar area early this morning, a mob torched the Mahismari police outpost and pelted policemen with stones.
They also vandalised several vehicles parked outside the outpost, and the policemen were forced to leave the premises, a senior officer said.
A huge police force was sent to the area, and tear gas shells were fired to disperse the mob, which tried to confine the SDPO and other senior personnel at the spot.
"The family members of the girl lodged a complaint at the Mahismari outpost in the area but the police refused to convert it into an FIR and did not act on the complaint immediately. They insisted we go to Joynagar police station for lodging the FIR and as a result, valuable time was lost in tracing the girl," a family member of the girl claimed.
Superintendent of Police, Baruipur Police District, Palash Chandra Dhali told PTI, "We will ensure that the culprit gets capital punishment. We have supported the family throughout and the probe started even before the FIR was lodged."
The police responded in the "same manner" as they did after the body of a woman doctor was found at R G Kar hospital in August, another villager alleged.
"We will continue with our agitation till all those accused in the rape and murder of our minor daughter are arrested and convicts are punished. We also demand action against those who responded to the complaint late, which might have resulted in her death. Had the police acted promptly, the girl could have been rescued," Ganesh Dolui, a villager, said.
Dhali, however, said the action was taken immediately after the complaint was received and an accused was arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the girl.
"After lodging the complaint at 9 pm on Friday, police swung into action and arrested an accused this morning after an initial probe. Investigation is underway and we are with the family of the deceased. Those involved in the arson at the police outpost and destruction of all important documents will be identified and action will be taken against them," the officer added.
Kultali's TMC MLA Ganesh Mondal was chased away by the villagers when he went to the spot to pacify the locals who accused him of trying to support the "police inaction".
Mondal later told reporters that he understood the grievances and anger of the people of the area but they should not take the law in their hands.
"I have requested the police to investigate the matter thoroughly and frame charges against the accused," he said. "This is a very serious issue and the inspector-in-charge did a commendable job which helped in the arrest of the culprit within a few hours," the SP said.
Meanwhile, TMC MP from Jaynagar, Pratima Mondal, was greeted with 'go back' slogans by a section of people when she went to Padmerhat Rural Hospital where the body of the girl was taken for autopsy.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, former state minister and CPI(M) leader Kanti Ganguly and DYFI leader Meenakshi Mukherjee went to the hospital separately and got engaged in heated arguments with police officers when they wanted to meet the family of the deceased.
Paul demanded that the body of the girl be preserved and the autopsy be done at "a neutral hospital which will not be influenced by the ruling party".
She also demanded a magisterial probe into the incident. Mukherjee demanded that all the outsiders be moved out of the room where the girl's body had been taken and the movement of people to the room be videographed "so that the evidence cannot be tampered with like what happened in the RG Kar incident".
As demanded by the BJP and the CPI(M), the body of the girl was finally taken to a morgue in Kolkata for subsequent autopsy at a hospital.
As the body was taken to Katapukur morgue in the city, BJP workers, led by Agnimitra Paul scuffled with police who stopped them from entering the premises.
Paul alleged that the police were trying to deflect public focus from the real probe into the incident to cover up its failure.
Expressing shock over the incident, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said, "A class 4 girl was abducted, raped and murdered while returning from tuition. Women are not safe in West Bengal. They are being killed even during Devi Paksha (the 15-day period heralding the advent of Goddess Durga since Mahalaya)."
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh called it a heinous crime and said the party wanted exemplary punishment for the guilty.
"However, the BJP and CPI(M) are indulging in vulture politics. I will urge people not to fall into their trap. BJP leaders must explain what happens in the states ruled by their party. We had witnessed shocking incidents of attacks on women during the 34-year rule of the CPI(M) in West Bengal," Ghosh said.