Kolkata:A mob of around 50 people stormed the New Alipore police station compound around 2 am on Tuesday, assaulted cops and tried to vandalise the premises, demanding that a man arrested for allegedly molesting a woman in the locality be handed over to them so they could deliver instant justice.Cops called in reinforcement and lathicharged the attackers. Four men were arrested. A large contingent of cops in riot gear was deployed outside the police station.The 24-year-old woman was returning home around 12.15 am on Tuesday when three men allegedly molested her under Durgapur Bridge in New Alipore. Hearing her cries, her brother rushed in and alerted residents. One of the accused, Jai Kumar Kamath, was caught, while the others fled.A team from the police station reached the spot around 12.55 am and took Kamath into custody. The woman was asked to visit the police station and lodge a complaint. Trouble started when around 50 people accompanied the woman to the police station. Officers asked the crowd to stay outside, while the woman and her parents were requested to step in. The group, however, forcibly entered the premises and assaulted cops, demanding that Kamath be handed over to them.With the situation spiralling out of control, police resorted to lathicharge. Several cops sustained minor injuries. The woman’s father was also injured after falling amid the commotion. Four intruders — Sayantan Shome, Lucky Pandey, Swarup Das and Sourav Mallick — were detained and later arrested.The incident came a day after Bengal’s fourth “encounter” death since last July. Three of the four who died were accused of raping and murdering minor girls.Two cases have been registered in the New Alipore case. The first case was based on the woman’s complaint, while the other was registered following a complaint by Rahul Adhikari, a sub-inspector at the police station, alleging assault on cops and obstruction of govt duty.“We are investigating both cases and searching for the two men who fled after the molestation. We are also looking for the men who attacked police personnel,” said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.On Nov 14, 2014, a mob had stormed Alipore police station to protest eviction of slum-dwellers along Burdwan Road. The protesters ransacked the building and smashed furniture, leaving on-duty officers with no option but to duck under tables and use file covers to shield themselves against projectiles hurled by the attackers.
