Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 8 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy on Wednesday condemned the encounter death of Prabhas Mondal, the prime suspect in the Baruipur minor's rape and murder case, terming the incident a "casualty" of the rule of law.
Mondal was killed in a police encounter on Wednesday morning after he attempted to snatch a service weapon from an officer and open fire at the police team.
Speaking to ANI, Roy questioned the police's decision to kill the accused instead of following the legal process.
"I condemn this encounter death. This happened within one day of the Chief Minister and the DGP visiting Baruipur. The rule of law is a casualty. And I don't know under whose instruction police killed an accused instead of putting him on the docks in court. I am sure that a thorough enquiry will be pursued into this matter," the TMC MP said.
Meanwhile, Sandhya Mondal, the mother of Prabhas Mondal, refused to claim her son's body or bring his remains home in a chilling display of detachment.
The incident unfolded when two police officers arrived at the Mondal residence to inform the family of Prabhas's death. Recounting the moment the officers arrived while she had just woken up, Sandhya Mondal, speaking to ANI, explained her decision to decline an offer to visit the hospital.
"Two policemen came to my house just as I had woken up. They said your son is dead; would you like to go to the hospital? They said if I wanted to, I could go with them. I said, 'I cannot go, my husband is ill... I am not in a condition to go... You do whatever you want, I have no objection,'" she told ANI.
Standing by her firm stance, the mother expressed that her son's death was a direct consequence of his actions. "The work my son did, he received his punishment for that. I will not take my son's body, nor will I accept it. I will not bring his body home because he did not do anything good," she said.
When pressed about the fate of the remains, she remained resolute, distancing herself from her son's criminal history. "He committed a terrible crime. He received his punishment. You do whatever you want... kill him or whatever needs to be done... I have no objection. I will not bring the body," Sandhya Mondal added.
According to the Baruipur Superintendent of Police (SP), the incident occurred during the reconstruction of the crime scene. The police said that during the process, Mondal attempted to snatch a weapon from a police officer while in custody and open fire at the police team.
In the ensuing retaliatory fire from police, Mondal sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead by medical authorities, the SP stated.
Mondal was the key accused in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, in South 24 Parganas. The 12-year-old girl went missing on Saturday and was later found dead in a pond, with an alleged case of rape and murder triggering outrage and protests in the area.