Protests Erupt In Bengal Village Over Alleged Rape, Murder Of 9-year-old Girl

A nine-year-old girl was murdered in Joynagar, located in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, with her body being discovered late on Friday. The accused, an 18-year-old youth, has been arrested.

Villagers claimed that the police initially refused to file a missing person report. In response, a mob of about 200 people attacked and set fire to the Mahishmari police outpost.

When officers arrived at the village in the early hours of Saturday to retrieve the body, they were met with hostility from the locals.

A large police force, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), had to be deployed to restore order. Police resorted to lathi charges and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Palash Chandra Dhali, superintendent of police of the Baruipur police district, explained, "We received information around 9 pm on Friday. A case was registered. The accused has been arrested, and he has confessed to the crime. When police went to the village around 3:30 am on Saturday, villagers staged a protest. We have taken each and every step promptly. We are looking into the grievances of the villagers."

According to people familiar with the situation, the victim, a Class 4 student, had gone to her tuition class around 2:30 pm on Friday. When she didn't return home by the evening, her family and neighbours began searching for her.

The girl's father shared, "She came to my shop in the local market around 5 pm on her way back home from the tuition classes. But when I returned home at night, I was told that she never reached home. We started searching for her. Later, her body was found around one kilometer from our home."

Locals alleged that when they tried to file a missing person report, police at the Mahishmari outpost directed them to Joynagar police station, while officers at Joynagar said they should approach the Mahishmari camp instead.

The situation escalated when the girl's body was discovered early Saturday morning. Protesters ransacked and set fire to the Mahishmari camp, and a motorcycle was also torched.

When more police arrived, they faced resistance from the villagers, with women wielding lathis, brooms, and kitchen utensils. Local TMC legislator Ganesh Chandra Mondal was also chased away by the angry villagers.