In 1 day, Bengal sees 2 ‘crime scene encounter’ deaths

Gaighata/Shamsherganj: Bengal’s cops on Tuesday gunned down two persons in separate “encounters” — the first accused of rape and murder in Gaighata, North 24 Parganas, and the other of killing a BJP worker in Murshidabad’s Shamsherganj.The double “encounter” on a single day — probably unprecedented in Bengal since the Naxalite turbulence in the late 1960s and the early 1970s — came three months after cops gunned down a rape-murder accused in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas.Both the Gaighata and the Shamsherganj “encounters” happened in eerily similar circumstances, with cops claiming their guns were snatched during crime-reconstruction procedures. The first, in which Gaighata rape-murder accused Prahlad Das, 23, was killed, happened at 2.30am on Tuesday. The second, in which Samiul Sheikh, 46, was gunned down in Shamsherganj, happened 12 hours later, at 2.30pm. Samiul was accused of killing BJP worker Sujit Mondal.CM Suvendu Adhikari said while coming out of the Bengal police headquarters in Bhavani Bhawan on Tuesday evening that he had given police a free hand in two areas: action against drug abuse and narcotics trafficking, and crime against women. He asserted that hooliganism would not be tolerated and those taking the law into their hands would face action through due legal process.About the Gaighata incident, he said, “Police retaliated after being attacked. Police have explained the matter in detail. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further.” Speaking about the Shamsherganj incident, CM Adhikari rejected the suggestion that the political affiliation of the person who was murdered should determine how the incident was viewed, adding police could not remain passive when someone took the law into his hands.After the Baruipur incident, he had said, “If mothers and sisters... are subjected to oppression, we will not spare those responsible.”In Gaighata, a Class XI student went missing on Saturday after attending a musical programme near home. Police said she had left the venue around 11.30pm after receiving a phone call. The next day, her naked and battered body was found behind the house of Prahlad Das, a distant relative. Das was arrested on charges of raping and murdering the 17-year-old.Late on Monday, police took Das to the crime scene to reconstruct the events leading to the rape and murder. While returning, he allegedly asked the cops escorting him to stop at a spot near Baidyabati, around 4km from the India-Bangladesh border, so he could relieve himself. He then allegedly snatched a sub-inspector’s revolver and fired three rounds before trying to flee.Police sources said one policeman was injured and the sub-inspector whose revolver was snatched jumped into a roadside canal to escape the gunfire.Police retaliated by firing four bullets, three of which hit Das in his chest, abdomen and right thigh. He was taken to Chandpara Rural Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.On Tuesday morning, police cordoned off the stretch where the encounter took place. A shoe was lying at the spot, though it was not clear to whom it belonged.Around 250 km away, in Murshidabad’s Shamsherganj, CID personnel shot dead Samiul Sheikh during an attempt to reconstruct the events leading to the murder of BJP worker Sujit Mondal. Police alleged he tried to snatch a firearm and escape. He was taken to Anupnagar BPHC, where he was declared dead.Mondal, 46, a BJP worker from ward 13 of Dhulian Municipality and a friend of Samiul, had been missing since Aug 28. His wife Sumana lodged a missing person complaint and told police that her husband could be in danger because he had been pressuring a friend in Farakka to repay a debt.On Sept 4, Mondal’s body parts were retrieved from a river. Police questioned Samiul, Tajkira Bibi and Johny Sheikh. CID sources said Samiul initially denied his involvement in the murder, but later admitted that he had lured Mondal to an isolated spot near the Shamsherganj-Farakka border, strangled him to death, hacked his body and dumped the parts into the river near the Ballalpur bridge.Following an order from CM Adhikari, CID took over the murder probe on Sept 7. The CM ordered the suspension of three officers of Shamsherganj police station — SI Safiul Alam, ASI Sumanta Kumar Das and the second officer — and the officer in charge of the Dhulian police outpost. The inspector in charge of the police station, Subrata Ghosh, was placed under watch. Farakka SDPO Sheikh Samsuddin was transferred, while the Jangipur SP was warned over alleged negligence.“A financial dispute led to the murder. Samiul reportedly borrowed a substantial amount from Mondal in instalments. Their relationship soured after Sujit started demanding repayment,” a senior police officer said.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in KolkataStay updated with the latest Kolkata news. Download the TOI App.