Howrah: 16-Year-Old Student Stabbed to Death After Rejecting Stalker

A 16-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed to death in Howrah, West Bengal, on Wednesday evening, allegedly by a man who had been stalking her for months. The Class 10 student was returning home on a bicycle from her tuition class when the accused, identified as 24-year-old Samir Das, intercepted her and attacked her with a knife.

According to police, Das stabbed the teenager multiple times in the neck, hands, and stomach. Eyewitnesses said the attack occurred around 7:00 pm on a busy road. Bystanders overpowered Das and beat him before handing him over to the police. The victim was rushed to a private hospital and later transferred to the Howrah district hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries late at night.

Preliminary investigations reveal that Das, a factory worker from Murshidabad district, had been pursuing the girl for a long time. Police stated that the attack was a retaliatory act after the teenager repeatedly rejected his advances. Das remains hospitalized under police guard, and a murder investigation has been registered.

This incident is the third violent crime against women reported in West Bengal in recent weeks. Earlier this month, an 11-year-old girl was gangraped and murdered in Baruipur, near Kolkata. One of the accused, Prabhash Mondol, was killed in an encounter while allegedly attempting to snatch a policeman's firearm during a crime scene reconstruction. In another incident, a woman was murdered in broad daylight in Sodepur, North 24 Parganas district; her estranged husband, Subhas Das, then stabbed himself in a suicide attempt and sustained serious injuries.

The spate of crimes has drawn public outrage, prompting the Kolkata Police to issue a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at streamlining the handling of Zero FIRs. A Zero FIR allows a complaint to be filed at any police station, regardless of where the crime occurred, and must be transferred to the appropriate jurisdiction. The SOP mandates that the officer registering a Zero FIR personally coordinate with the receiving station to ensure seamless transfer of case details and complainant contact information. The directive noted that delays in FIR registration after a Zero FIR have been observed, hampering timely justice.

While the state government has faced criticism over the handling of such cases, the police have emphasized that the new measures are designed to reduce administrative reluctance and systemic delays. Authorities continue to urge citizens to report any instances of harassment or stalking promptly.