A local police camp in India was set on fire by a mob on Saturday, just hours after the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl came to light.
The girl’s family from eastern Indian state of West Bengal had earlier filed a complaint with the local police station that she failed to return home following her tuition classes on Friday evening, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
The body of the nine-year-old girl from Joynagar in the state’s South 24 Parganas district was found in a nearby pond in the early hours of Saturday.
“She came to my shop in the local market around 5pm on her way back home from the tuition classes. But when I returned home at night, I was told that she never reached home,” the girl’s father told reporters.
“We started searching for her. Later her body was found around one kilometre from our home,” he said, according to the Hindustan Times.
Villagers allege that the girl was raped and murdered, accusing the police of failing to act promptly on their initial complaint.
This comes just weeks after a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal’s capital city Kolkata, sparking widespread protests across the nation.
The state has witnessed thousands of protests over the last two months — some of which are still ongoing — demanding justice for the victim and safety for healthcare workers.
Meanwhile, when police entered the village to recover the girl’s body, they were heckled, and an angry mob ransacked a police outpost before setting it on fire. Women also took to the streets armed with lathis, brooms, and kitchen utensils.
“They also vandalised several vehicles parked outside the outpost and the policemen were forced to leave the premises,” an official told PTI.
Locals demanded action against police officers who allegedly responded late to the complaint.
A large police force was sent to the village to quell the mob of more than 200 people with tear gas shells.
Police deny allegations of negligence, saying that one person had already been arrested in connection with the case.
“So far, one person has been arrested. It remains to be seen if anyone else is involved. Efforts are underway to normalise the situation in the area. That is our priority,” a senior officer said, according to The Indian Express.
“We have identified and arrested the accused and he has confessed too. We have taken each step and acted promptly. Still if people have allegations we will surely look into it as well,” he said.
Protests demanding safety for women continued across West Bengal this week, coinciding with the start of the 10-day-long Hindu festival of Durga Puja.
Opposition political parties were quick to condemn the Trinamool Congress-run state government under chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“Which Durga shall we worship if our Durga at home is not safe? It is all because of Mamata Banerjee. She has spread a message that [the police] not take FIR easily,” BJP leader Sukanto Majumdar said.
