Security personnel stand guard as people block a road and stage a protest following the recovery of the body of an 11-year-old girl in the South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, on July 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Locals lynch a man suspecting he is an associate of accused; police say one person has been arrested
The mutilated body of a 12-year-old minor girl in South 24 Parganas’s Baruipur was recovered from a pond on Sunday (July 5, 2026), with her family members alleging she was raped and murdered.
The incident sparked a protest in the area as the angry mob beat a 40-year-old man to death, suspecting he was an associate of the accused.
According to officials, the victim’s parents in Baruipur’s Suryapur village lodged a First Information Report (FIR) after she went missing on Saturday night (July 4, 2026).
“She went to visit a friend in the evening but never returned home. Later, on Sunday morning, her mutilated body was recovered from a pond. Following the development, her family members and the locals alleged she was raped and murdered by some influential people in the area. However, the fact is yet to be ascertained,” said an officer from the Baruipur police station.
Protesters block a road and stage a protest in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district, on July 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
The girl’s family members, along with some locals, staged a protest demanding immediate action against the accused. They blocked a nearby train line on the Sealdah-Namkhana route for an hour. They staged a sit-in protest with the girl’s body, disrupting road traffic for over three to four hours, officials said. The protesters burnt tyres.
Senior officials, including Inspector General of the Presidency Range, Kankar Prasad Barui, reached the spot and spoke to the protesters, following which they ended the dharna and handed over the body to the police for an autopsy.
Protesters damage a police vehicle amid a protest.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Mr. Barui said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari spoke to him, and the police had arrested one person. “Nobody who committed this crime will be spared. A thorough investigation is being conducted. Everybody is requested to maintain peace,” he said.
After meeting the senior officials, the victim’s father said, “The Chief Minister called and asked me to meet him on Tuesday. We will go and meet him. He said no stone will be left unturned to punish the perpetrators.”
The safety of women has been a major priority of the BJP government. During the recent Assembly election, the party cornered the previous Trinamool Congress government over the various cases of sexual assaults.
Taking to X, the Trinamool Congress wrote, “Crimes against women continue to rise in Bengal, while BJP’s false promises fall flat yet again. A 12-year-old girl was raped in South 24 Parganas. Protests? None. Justice? Still awaited. Accountability? Missing. When it comes to making hollow promises to grab power, the BJP is always vocal. But when it comes to standing up for women and ensuring justice, the silence is deafening. Who cares about women’s safety and security once power has already been seized?”
Published – July 05, 2026 09:12 pm IST
