Bengal orders CID probe into police encounter that killed Baruipur rape-murder accused

Police in West Bengal shot dead Pravas Mondal on Wednesday morning. He was one of four men accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas.

Officers say Mondal grabbed a firearm from an escort constable while being taken somewhere. He then fired at police. Sub-inspector Arghya Mondal fired back. The accused died from the gunfire.

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Two bullets, two wounds

Reports say two bullets hit Mondal. One struck his chest on the right side. The other hit him just above the waist. They then took him to a nearby hospital. Doctors declared him dead there.

Baruipur Police District has called the shooting self-defence.

State hands case to CID

On Thursday, the West Bengal government assigned the Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the encounter and file a report.

A state secretariat official explained the move. The shooting happened in an area under Baruipur Police District. The officers involved also work for that same district. Rules do not allow that district’s own staff to investigate one of their own encounters. That is why the CID stepped in.

Judicial inquiry also underway

Separately, a judicial inquiry into the encounter has already started. This follows standard legal procedure, which requires judicial review whenever police kill someone during an operation.

The official said this inquiry will run alongside the CID probe, not replace it. Both processes will move forward at the same time.

Family reaction

Mondal’s mother and wife spoke out after his death. They said he deserved to die, given the crime he was accused of committing.

They also said they refused to accept his body once police completed the autopsy.

Mondal was one of four men accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur. The case had drawn public anger before his death.

(With input from IANS.)