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India: 3 arrested in rape of young girl, protests erupt in Kolkata
According to media reports, police detained a local BJP leader for allegedly helping one of the accused to escape. Police imposed prohibitory orders, preventing gatherings in public areas
- PUBLISHED: Tue 7 Jul 2026, 3:24 PM
Three men have been arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a 12-year-old school girl, whose body was recovered on Sunday from a pond in Baruipur, about 30km from Kolkata.
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. The police have filed charges of gangrape, murder, destruction of evidence, and criminal conspiracy against three of the accused, who have been arrested.
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A fourth was lynched by a mob on Sunday. The victim’s mother told the media that she wants the rapists and killers to be punished by death. “We want these devils to suffer the same way as my child suffered before dying,” she said. “And we want them to be punished as soon as possible. Many similar incidents happened earlier, but we never saw justice. With a new government in office, we hope to get justice.”
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According to her, had the police launched the probe earlier, the girl might have been alive today. "When we filed a missing person complaint, it was around 9 pm on Saturday. Had the police started a search operation then, went through CCTV footage, my daughter could have been found alive,” she told reporters.
Protests in Kolkata
The incident has seen widespread protests in Kolkata with demonstrators vandalising police vehicles, burning tyres and blocking roads and railway tracks. According to media reports, the police detained a local BJP leader for allegedly helping one of the accused to escape. The police have also imposed prohibitory orders, preventing public gatherings in the affected areas.
A CCTV footage has also surfaced of the girl being taken by a man before she went missing. Her body was found stuffed in a sack a day later. According to her family, she had gone out to buy a birthday gift for her friend on Saturday evening, but never returned. Her family also accused the police of not probing the case immediately.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress led a candlelight rally on Monday. There was heavy police presence around her residence and Mamata accused the government of putting her under ‘house arrest.’
Her party also criticised the chief minister for not visiting the victim’s parents. “Just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi never found the time to visit Manipur despite the continuing violence there, you too failed to find the time to meet the family," the Trinamool posted on X.
