Kolkata, July 6 (IANS) Apprehending fresh tension in the Baruipur area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal over the recovery of a body of a 12-year-old minor girl, allegedly raped and murdered, the Baruipur Police District on Monday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 in areas under three police stations under its jurisdiction.

With prohibitory orders being imposed, the assembly of five or more people at a place and at a time in areas under these three police stations have been banned till further orders on this count.

A huge police contingent has been deployed in the area, who are conducting constant patrols to prevent a fresh outbreak of tension or violence.

Tension broke out at Baruipur on Sunday after the recovery of the minor girl’s body from a pond.

Locals protested with the body of the girl. It is alleged that a young man was beaten to death on suspicion of being the girl’s murderer. But there has been no official confirmation on this.

The situation became slightly normal after a joint contingent of state police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel visited the spot, interacted with the protesters and assured them of prompt action in the matter.

A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already been formed to investigate the incident. Two people have been arrested so far, and three others have been detained for interrogation

Meanwhile, local people have expressed anguish over the local Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and actress-turned-politician, Saayoni Ghosh, over her role in the matter, as instead of visiting the spot and interacting with the family members of the victim, she just restricted herself to giving a call to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and making a social media post in the matter.

Ghosh was elected a Trinamool Congress MP from Jadavpur Lok Sabha in 2024. However, she is currently part of the team of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha members, led by four-time Lok Sabha member, Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The group joined the virtually non-existent Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) after the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls.

The body of the 12-year-old girl was recovered from a pond on Sunday morning. She had been missing since Saturday. Tension flared up in the area on Sunday over the recovery of the minor’s body.

Family members of the deceased girl claimed that the victim was raped and murdered. However, the police have not confirmed this allegation so far. The autopsy of the minor’s body was completed on Sunday night. Police have said that the reason for the murder will be known only after the autopsy report surfaces. The autopsy report, according to the police, will also confirm whether she was raped or not and based on the report, another case will be registered accordingly.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday spoke to the father of the victim and assured the latter of a proper investigation into the matter.

–IANS

src/dpb