calcutta-hc-seeks-report-on-baruipur-encounter-death

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday took a stern view of the encounter death of Prabhas Mondal, the prime accused in the gang rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, and directed the police to file a detailed affidavit on the incident.

 

The directive was issued by a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee. The next hearing has been scheduled for August 18.

 

As per the court's order, Baruipur District Superintendent of Police Arabind Kumar Anand has been asked to submit a comprehensive affidavit detailing the circumstances leading to the encounter before the next date of hearing.

 

According to the police, Mondal was among four individuals arrested in connection with the gang rape and murder case. A few days after his arrest, he was taken to the crime scene late at night for reconstruction purposes. The police have claimed that upon reaching the spot, Mondal allegedly snatched a firearm from an officer and attempted to escape while opening fire, prompting the police to retaliate in self-defence, which led to his death.

 

However, the police version has been challenged through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed before the High Court. Senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, appearing for the petitioner, raised several questions regarding the sequence of events. He questioned why the accused was taken for reconstruction late at night, whether adequate security measures were in place during his transfer, and whether the incident or the reconstruction process was videographed.

 

The petitioner's counsel further alleged that the police account of the encounter appeared to be fabricated.

 

Opposing the petition, the state's counsel defended the police action, stating that the accused had confessed to the crime and was taken to the site for reconstruction. He maintained that the police were compelled to open fire only after Mondal allegedly attempted to escape and fired at officers.

 

While not accepting the state's arguments at this stage, the High Court directed the police to place all relevant facts on record through a detailed affidavit. The court indicated that further legal proceedings would depend on the report submitted by the district police.