1 lynched, Baruipur on boil after ‘rape’ and murder of 12-year-old
Times of India | 6 July 2026
Kolkata: The body of a 12-year-old schoolgirl, who was allegedly raped before being killed, was found in a pond near Surjapur Haat in Baruipur on Sunday morning. Protests by locals snowballed into large-scale arson and violence, with the mob lynching a 26-year-old suspect and brickbatting police and central forces personnel, damaging vehicles, and squatting on roads and railway tracks.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari spoke to the girl’s father and assured him of strict action; the CM will meet him in Kolkata on July 7.
One suspect was arrested, and a six-member special investigation team (SIT) headed by an additional SP has been constituted to investigate the incident. Police have lodged a murder case and said they are awaiting the autopsy results to add rape charges. A separate FIR was lodged related to the assault on cops and vandalism of police vehicles during the unrest while a third FIR was filed related to the mob lynching.
Late at night RAF and central forces conducted marches in the area to bring the situation under control.
According to locals, the girl had left her home around 4 pm on Saturday to buy a gift for her friend’s birthday but did not return. Her parents and neighbours failed to locate her despite an extensive search. Her body was found on Sunday morning close to her home in the Dhopdhopi 2 gram panchayat, and the family alleged she had been raped and strangled to death. The family named four local residents in their FIR.
The locals alleged that four-five suspects had abducted, gang-raped, and murdered the child before dumping her body. Alleging extreme police negligence and delayed response, residents launched a protest near the Sealdah-Namkhana railway line, bringing train services to a halt while another section of locals blocked Baruipur-Joynagar Road by burning wooden logs and tyres. The victim’s kin and neighbours also initially refused to hand over the body to cops.
Amid the chaos, protesters spotted one of the suspects, Indrajit Tanti. Even as he pleaded his innocence, the crowd assaulted him brutally. When cops and central forces personnel tried to intervene, they were driven back under brickbats, which injured several officers. Once reinforcements arrived, cops managed to rescue Tanti. However, he subsequently died.
During the clashes, SI Arghya Mandal managed to rescue another accused Prabash Mondal, who was captured by the mob. He was interrogated and later arrested.
It was around this time that the CM called the girl’s father, who later said: “I have spoken with the CM. He has asked us to go to Bhawani Bhawan on Tuesday. He said that no culprit will be spared.” He then pleaded with the protestors to allow police to do their work.
Police used loudspeakers to appeal for calm, and IGP (Presidency Range) Kankar Prasad Barui reassured the crowd: “Everyone involved in this incident will be arrested. The CM has promised that no one linked to this case will go unpunished. Please cooperate with us.”
Protesters finally lifted the road and railway blockades by afternoon, allowing train services to resume.
The autopsy on the girl’s body was done at Kolkata’s Katapukur Morgue.