Indian police announced Friday that dozens of individuals have been taken into custody in connection with violent unrest that broke out this week following the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in an eastern state.
Authorities confirmed that an innocent bystander was killed by a mob during the chaos. Since the girl’s body was discovered in a pond on Sunday — one day after she was reported missing — angry crowds have been blocking roads and setting vehicles on fire in Baruipur city, located in West Bengal state approximately 30 kilometers, or about 20 miles, from Kolkata.
“We have arrested 35 people for violence and vandalism so far … others involved are being identified through multiple videos that went viral,” senior state police officer Arvind Kumar Anand told Reuters.
In a separate development, police reported that one of four men arrested in connection with the girl’s rape and murder was shot and killed by officers. The suspect, identified as Prabhas Mondal, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of Wednesday while allegedly attempting to flee. Authorities said he had been brought to the scene of the crime as part of the ongoing investigation when the incident occurred.
Mondal’s mother declined to claim his body, stating she did not want him brought home because he “did not do anything good.” In a television interview, she added, “The sin committed by my son, he has received punishment for it.”
Indian media reported that the family of one of the three remaining suspects claims their relative is innocent and was taken into custody due to a case of mistaken identity. No statements from the families of the other two suspects have been reported.
West Bengal’s chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, who took office after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory in state elections in May, vowed there would be “no leniency” for those responsible for crimes like rape and violence, or for those who beat “innocent and blameless” people to death.
“This new government will pursue such criminals to the fullest extent of the law and ensure justice is served,” Adhikari wrote on X on Thursday.
The tragic case has once again drawn attention to ongoing concerns about the safety of women and girls throughout India. Stricter laws were enacted following nationwide outrage over the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in Delhi, a case that resulted in four convictions and executions by hanging.
West Bengal was also the center of international attention in 2024, when the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital set off widespread protests across the country over women’s safety.
