BJP hails police action as 'divine justice';TMC factions divided house: Political reactions follow police encounter in Baruipur case

PTI, July 8, 2026, Kolkata : The alleged police encounter killing of one of the prime accused in the Baruipur rape and murder case on Wednesday quickly turned into a political battleground, with the BJP hailing it as “divine justice”, the Mamata Banerjee camp in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) calling it “jungle law”, and its rival faction defending the police action.

The West Bengal units of the Congress and the CPI(M) termed the encounter “pre-planned”, with the Congress demanding a judicial probe and the Left party calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The encounter, the first since the BJP government assumed office in May, has thrust Bengal into the familiar national debate over “encounter justice”, with rival parties accusing each other of importing policing models from other states while trading charges over West Bengal’s record on crimes against women.

One of the accused in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl died after allegedly trying to escape from police custody by snatching a firearm during a crime scene reconstruction exercise in Baruipur in the early hours of Wednesday. Police said personnel opened retaliatory fire in self-defence after the accused fired at them.

The BJP projected the encounter as evidence of its “zero tolerance” policy against crimes against women.

“The demon Prabhas Mondal, who raped and killed a girl in Baruipur, was killed in police firing after trying to flee with firearms. Divine justice,” BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said in a post on X.

State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the government had acted firmly to send a message that “no criminal or rapist would be spared”.

“Before the elections, we promised the women of West Bengal ‘Bhoy Out, Bhorosa In’. We are implementing what we had promised. No criminal will be protected by political patronage,” he told reporters.

Seeking to widen the political attack on the previous TMC regime, Bhattacharya renewed the BJP’s demand for reopening the 2013 Kamduni gang rape and murder case.

“The Kamduni victim was denied justice because the probe was conducted to suit a particular community. Times have changed. The Kamduni files must be reopened,” he said.

The encounter also drew support from prominent faces of the Kamduni movement.

Mousumi Kayal, who a few months back had joined the BJP, described it as the “beginning of Asur Vadh” (slaying of the demon), saying her 13-year struggle for justice had received “some solace”.

“The investigation should be completed swiftly, the accused should confess and then they should be encountered. This is justice. This is the real punishment for rapists,” she said.

Tumpa Kayal alleged that under the previous TMC government, repeated changes of public prosecutors had helped the accused in the Kamduni case.

The strongest criticism came from the Mamata Banerjee camp in the TMC, with Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra likening the development to the “Uttar Pradesh model”.

“What is going on, WB Police? Bengalis, welcome to Bengal–Uttar Pradesh 2.0. BJP is no government. This is jungle law,” she said in a social media post, questioning the circumstances surrounding the encounter.

Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy alleged that the incident reflected a complete breakdown of police accountability.

“I condemn the encounter death. It shows the government has no control over the police. This is the worst form of police brutality,” Roy told PTI Videos.

He noted that the Chief Minister and the DGP had visited Baruipur only a day earlier, and the police chief had been asked to submit a report within 72 hours.

“Within that period, an encounter has taken place. The DGP should now revisit the spot and submit a report on the encounter death. This is the Yogi model being followed in Bengal,” Roy alleged.

However, the issue exposed the fault lines within the divided TMC.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction backed the police version and defended the government’s action.

Party leader and Keshpur MLA Shiuli Saha said the law permits an encounter if an accused attacks the police while attempting to flee.

“We trust the government’s version. Rapists deserve the harshest punishment. The state government had earlier also brought the Aparajita Bill after the RG Kar incident to ensure stringent punishment for such crimes,” she said, while adding that any use of encounter powers “must remain under the government’s control”.

The Congress, however, argued that public outrage over a heinous crime could not become a substitute for due process.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Shubhankar Sarkar demanded an inquiry into the encounter, while state Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who visited Baruipur, criticised the police’s handling of the case and said such incidents would damage the image of the Chief Minister.

Congress student leader Priyanka Choudhury called for a judicial probe.

“There must first be a trial. The evidence against the accused has to be proved. The judiciary alone should decide the punishment. Our legal system already provides for the severest punishment,” she said.

CPI(M) leader and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya alleged that the encounter was “pre-planned”.

“This sounds like a fairy tale. It was a planned encounter in the Yogi (Adityanath) style. The principal witness has been eliminated,” he claimed.

The 11-year-old girl’s body was recovered from a pond at Suryapur in Baruipur on Sunday. Police have arrested four persons in connection with the alleged rape and murder.

The encounter death of Prabhas Mondal, the first person arrested in the case, triggered a political debate that has quickly expanded beyond the crime itself into a larger discussion over law, justice and policing in West Bengal.

Photo: Police personnel deployed in Baruipur during the investigation into the alleged rape and murder case.

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