Baruipur youth lynched over minor girl's death was innocent: CM Adhikari
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Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said the 26-year-old youth who was lynched by an angry mob in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district, after being suspected of involvement in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, was innocent.
The youth, identified as Indrajit Tanti, was beaten to death on July 5 after tension erupted in the area following the recovery of the minor girl's body from a pond. An enraged mob attacked Tanti, believing he was one of the accused in the case.
During his visit to Baruipur on Tuesday, the Chief Minister met senior police officials at the office of the Superintendent of Police and separately interacted with the families of both the deceased minor girl and the lynched youth.
Speaking to reporters after the meetings, the Chief Minister said he was convinced of Tanti's innocence after speaking to his family members and reviewing the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
"After speaking to the family members of the lynched youth, I am convinced that he was innocent. The findings of the Special Investigation Team have also pointed in the same direction. Justice will be ensured in this case as well. Those responsible in either of the two cases will not be spared," he said.
The Chief Minister also said that nearly 200 people had been identified for their alleged involvement in violence and disruptive activities, including vandalism of public property and railway tracks, following the recovery of the girl's body.
"We will not spare them as well," he said.
Without naming any political party, the Chief Minister alleged that some local politicians had played a role in instigating the violence following the girl's death.
"We have been able to identify some people who had been behind this instigation. The police have recovered several call records in the matter. The culprits behind instigating and initiating violence and damaging public property will not be spared. We will ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future," he said.
The Chief Minister also announced that a new police outpost would be established near the victim's residence in the Suryapur area of Baruipur.
"I will come to Baruipur next week. By then, the outpost will be operational. The people will be able to see the actions taken by the administration in the entire sequence of events," he added.
With IANS Inputs