Kaliyaganj: Violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district, miscreants on Tuesday set ablaze the Kaliyaganj police station to protest against the death of a teenage girl whose body was found in a canal here last week. The mob also set ablaze several vehicles, including two-wheelers parked near the police station building, which were gutted. Two police personnel were injured in the attack.
An official said people from tribal and Rajbanshi communities allegedly organized a “police gherao” program on Tuesday afternoon to protest against alleged “police inaction” in the case and claimed that the girl was raped and murdered.
#Breaking, Kaliyaganj police station of North Dinajpur district… #West Bengal It was allegedly set on fire by protesters. The agitators were protesting against the death of the minor girl when some unidentified person entered the police station and set it on fire. Police fired tear gas shells,… pic.twitter.com/DUbKS22vJM— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) April 25, 2023
However, preliminary post-mortem examination of the girl’s body indicated that she was not raped.
While the ruling Trinamool Congress blamed the opposition BJP for the incident, the saffron camp alleged a “complete failure” of the law and order machinery.
The protesters, demanding the suspension of Raiganj Police District SP MD Sana Akhtar, pelted stones at the policemen deployed there before breaking the barricades.
The police lathi-charged and used water cannons but could not stop the mob from entering the police station and setting it on fire.
The IPS officer told PTI-language, “At present the situation is under control. We have deployed a large number of police personnel including RAF (Rapid Action Force) personnel.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were imposed in parts of Kaliganj on Sunday morning ahead of a visit by a team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Meanwhile, the war of words between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, which began after the girl’s body was found, continued ahead of the panchayat elections in the state.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh blamed the BJP for the arson.
Ghosh said, “The BJP is misleading the tribals and inciting them to attack the police.”
The saffron camp, however, pointed fingers at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the incident.
“I do not support attacks on police personnel. But I have come to know that the police attacked people who were holding their protest peacefully. This is a result of complete failure of law and order machinery. Chief Minister.” Leader of the Opposition Shubhendu Adhikari said, Mamta Banerjee is responsible for this.
Till the time of writing the news, no arrest had been made in the case of Tuesday’s arson.
Police had earlier arrested six people after the girl’s body was recovered on April 21, when a mob attacked them and torched several shops and vehicles in Kaliaganj.
NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanungo met the girl’s family on Sunday. He alleged serious lapses by the state police in investigating the case and said he would submit a report to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
All four police officers of the rank of assistant sub-inspector were suspended on Monday for allegedly removing the girl’s body from the place where it was found amid public protests.
A video of the alleged incident has gone viral.