Representational photo
Kaliaganj: Miscreants set fire to Kaliaganj police station in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on Tuesday protesting the death of a teenage girl whose body was found in a canal last week.
People allegedly from the Adivasi and Rajbangshi communities organised a “Thana gherao” programme on Tuesday afternoon protesting against alleged “police inaction” in the case and claiming that the girl had been raped and murdered.
Preliminary post-mortem of the girl’s body, however, indicated she had not been raped.
The mob broke barricades and pelted the police station with stones, an officer said.
The police personnel started a baton charge but could not stop the mob from entering the police station and setting it on fire, he said.
One vehicle was also set ablaze.
“We are trying to bring the situation under control,” the police officer told PTI.
On April 21, the body of the 17-year-old girl was found floating in a canal in Kaliaganj. Alleging that she was raped and killed, locals had put up road blockades by burning tyres and set several shops on fire.
The incident triggered a war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP ahead of the panchayat election in the state.
The TMC accused the saffron party of trying to “politicise and communalise” the matter, as BJP demanded a CBI probe and promised legal aid to the girl’s family.
Four police officers, all in the rank of Assistant Sub Inspectors, were Monday suspended for allegedly dragging the body of the girl on the road while removing it from the spot where it was found, amid protests by people.
A video purportedly showing the incident has gone viral.
This post was last modified on April 25, 2023 6:58 pm