Baruipur tragedy: New Bengal government under pressure over law and order
The alleged gangrape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in West Bengal’s Baruipur, followed by the lynching of a youth by a local mob and the subsequent killing of an accused in a police encounter, have intensified pressure on the Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government over sensitive issues like women safety and law and order in the state.
Four of the accused in the rape-murder case have been arrested. One of them, Prabhash Mondol, was killed in a police encounter Tuesday after he allegedly attempted to snatch a policeman’s firearm and escape. Additionally, 30 other persons have been arrested in connection with the lynching and mob violence that occurred on July 5.
On Tuesday, after meeting the families of the victim and the lynched youth in Baruipur and holding a high-level meeting with police officials, Chief Minister Adhikari directed the Director General of Police, Sidh Nath Gupta, to submit a report within 72 hours. The Chief Minister stated that “even 1% of lapses” in the police’s role would not be tolerated, and he announced that he would revisit the victims’ families in seven days and announce compensation.
The Chief Minister was informed by the police that the lynched youth, Indrajit Mondol, was “innocent”. Adhikari had earlier claimed that the lynching had a “communal connection” and that a “political conspiracy” was behind the mob violence.
With the BJP coming to power in the recent Assembly polls on promises of improving law and order and women safety, a senior party minister commented, “It (Baruipur rape-murder) is not only the first major tragic incident the BJP government faced after coming to power, but a challenge in a state where law and order has been in question for years. It is indeed a challenge for the Chief Minister, who also holds the home portfolio, to be true to his words. One of the first promises he made was to ensure women security and law and order. That is what you are seeing him trying to do.”
The minister added, “It is also important that leaders of certain parties who fanned the mob after the Baruipur incident be identified. The Chief Minister made it clear. Law and order is a challenge and we will tackle it.”
Senior BJP leader and minister Dilip Ghosh told media, “We don’t want encounters. We have a zero-tolerance policy for crimes. Within 24 hours, the culprits (in the Baruipur case) were arrested, and when one of them tried to escape, the police did not hesitate to shoot… Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari showed how to personally stand on the spot and take steps to improve law and order.”
The BJP government appears to be acting on its election pledges to ensure women safety and uphold law and order, especially in light of its strong criticism of the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government over the 2024 R G Kar rape-murder case. The BJP later fielded the R G Kar victim’s mother as a candidate in the Assembly polls from Panihat, which she won.
While protests after the Baruipur incident have not reached the intensity of those after the R G Kar case, the Adhikari government is trying to send a tough message. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister reiterated that after coming to power, the BJP government suspended top police officials over their “lapses” in investigations into the R G Kar case.
Opposition parties have attacked the government, accusing it of failing to protect women and maintain law and order. The situation remains tense in Baruipur, with police deployed to prevent further violence.
