Kolkata, July 6 (IANS) The prime accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old minor girl at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal was arrested on Monday afternoon, the Baruipur Police District insiders informed. Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari promised stringent action, even capital punishment for the accused persons in the case.

“The sleuths of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police, on Monday afternoon arrested a person, who had been suspected as the principal accused in the case since the beginning. He was arrested from the Baruipur Bazar area on Monday afternoon,” said an official from Baruipur Police district.

The prime accused in the case, who is the last to be arrested in the matter, had been identified as Ananda Sarkar. The other two arrested accused persons arrested earlier are Pravas Mondal and Dibakar Sardar.

All of them will be presented at a district court in the South 24 Parganas district later in the day or on Tuesday and the Public Prosecutor will seek police custody for all of them.

Meanwhile, speaking to media persons on Monday afternoon, Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that the state administration will make an all-out effort to ensure stringent punishment, even capital punishment for the accused persons in the case.

“The is a heinous incident. The government is making arrangements to do what the family wants. Will try to ensure capital punishment for the accused persons after quick conviction,” Chief Minister Adhikari said.

Regarding the development of a person being lynched by a violent mob that was protesting against the minor girl’s alleged rape and murder, Chief Minister Adhikari said that there was a communal angle behind the mob-lynching.

“I will not give out further details now. The manner in which the railway tracks were damaged on Sunday in the name of protests, reminds one of some past instances like protests against Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 and the recent protests against Waqf Amendment Bill,” Chief Minister Adhikari said.

He also informed that in Sunday’s protest, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were injured, while a police vehicle had been torched.

The body of the 12-year-old girl was recovered from a pond on Sunday morning. Family members of the deceased girl claimed that the victim was raped and murdered.

Meanwhile, apprehending fresh tension in the Baruipur area over the mishap, the Baruipur Police District had already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 in areas under three police stations under its jurisdiction.

–IANS

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