West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said police in the state will now have the same freedom to act as forces in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Madhya Pradesh, following the killing of an accused in the Baruipur case in a police encounter, according to ANI.
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh said there would be "zero tolerance for crime and criminals," and that steps required to restore law and order would be taken, ANI reported.
"As in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Madhya Pradesh, the police have the same freedom to act here. There will be zero tolerance for crime and criminals. Steps required to restore law and order will be taken," he said, as cited by the report.
Prime accused killed in encounter during crime scene reconstruction
Ghosh's remarks came after Prabhas Mondal, the primary suspect in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, was killed in a police encounter, according to police officials cited by ANI.
As per the Baruipur Superintendent of Police, the incident occurred during the reconstruction of the crime scene. Police said that during the process, Mondal attempted to snatch a service weapon from an officer and opened fire at the police team, the report said. In the retaliatory fire that followed, Mondal sustained critical injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead by medical authorities, the SP said, according to ANI.
On Wednesday, West Bengal BJP State President and Rajya Sabha MP Shamik Bhattacharya backed the police action in the Baruipur encounter, saying the state government had fulfilled its electoral promise of "Fear out, Trust in," a translation of the Bengali phrase "Bhoy out, Bhorosa in."
Speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya highlighted what he described as a shift in the state's approach to governance and security. "No criminal will be spared. Before the elections, a promise was made to the women of West Bengal, 'Fear out, Trust in'. This was the Prime Minister's message. Whatever we had to say in our resolution letter and our manifesto, we have fulfilled," he said.
Family arrives at hospital as postmortem awaited
Meanwhile, Mondal's mother and wife arrived at the subdivision hospital in Baruipur, where his body is currently being kept and will soon be sent for postmortem examination, ANI reported.
The case had drawn widespread outrage after the alleged rape and murder of the minor girl in Baruipur.
