At least 33 people have been arrested in West Bengal's Kaliaganj so far for allegedly causing arson while protesting against the alleged rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl.
The teenage girl's body was found in a canal last week, sparking protests by locals.
While the police has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the area, protesters torched a police station and several vehicles and pelted stones in complete disregard of the prohibitory orders.
A viral video on social media also purportedly shows that police personnel were tied up and brutally beaten by an angry mob. The officials are seen begging for mercy in the video while the mob showers blows on them. Several police officials who had taken refuge in the homes of locals and civic workers were beaten up as well, The Quint has learnt.
Meanwhile, the police conducted raids in and around Kaliaganj on Tuesday to detain the miscreants. "There is heavy deployment of security forces to keep a check on law and order. At the moment, the situation is under control," a police official told news agency PTI.
While protesters claimed that the girl was raped, the preliminary postmortem report indicates that she was not, PTI reported.
'Protesters Brought from Outside the State by BJP': Mamata
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday, 26 April, that the protesters had been brought from outside the state to carry out violence.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Banerjee claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the attacks and ordered the state police to explore the option of attaching properties of those found responsible for the violence.
"The BJP is carrying out hooliganism in Bengal. They are attempting to create disturbance in Bengal. We will defeat this conspiracy to create anarchy."Mamata Banerjee
She also claimed that the saffron party was trying to "disturb" all states where the opposition was in power.
NCPCR, BJP Slam Mamata Banerjee-Led State Govt
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Opposition BJP in the state, on the other hand, trained guns on the West Bengal government, claiming that it was completely "negligent" in such matters.
A BJP delegation also met Governor CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday to apprise him of the situation in Kaliaganj.
The deputation, comprising of BJP chief whip in the state Assembly Manoj Tigga and others, asked the Governor to ensure swift action against the alleged culprits.
"We have urged the Governor to ensure that action is taken against the culprits. The ways tribals are being attacked in various parts of the state is unacceptable. The state government must take swift action to ensure justice is delivered," Tigga said.
Members of the BJP's SC Morcha protesting against the West Bengal government on Monday, 24 April, over the alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl in Kaliaganj.
(Photo: PTI)
NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo, meanwhile, visited Kaliaganj along with other representatives of the rights body to take stock of the situation.
Slamming CM Mamata Banerjee, he said, "Behavior of the state government has been same for years, they themselves commit mistakes and then try to hide them and because of this they always interrupt the commission's work," news agency ANI reported.
He also claimed that the chief minister always tries to save "incompetent" officers, and that she herself was incompetent when it comes to ensuring the safety of children.
"Due to her negligence incidents happen and children die. And later on, on the basis of the CM's order, these incidents are covered up", Kanoongo added.
(With inputs from Kapil Saha, PTI, ANI.)
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