Baruipur: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said Indrajit Mondal’s death in Baruipur last Sunday following the rape-murder of a schoolgirl was not mob lynching but pre-meditated murder. The 35-year-old was targeted after his “naam ar parichay (name and identity)” were verified, he said.“I won’t say Indrajit was lynched. He was killed after his name and identity were ascertained. People who were rejected in the elections are behind the incident. Radicals and ultra-left could also be behind this. Police have arrested all those involved. One person was picked up from Digha, another from Bakkhali. His killers will be punished,” said Adhikari, who was in Baruipur to inaugurate a police outpost in Surjapur.Adhikari said the state govt provided Rs 25 lakh as compensation to Mondal’s elderly parents and his elder brother was appointed as a civic volunteer. He will be posted at the new police outpost. “We are standing by his family. The DM has enrolled both his parents in govt welfare schemes. Their house, which was ransacked, has also been repaired,” he said.In overnight raids, cops arrested four more persons in the lynching case, taking the total number of arrests to six. Abu Siddique Sardar, Sabiruddin Baidya, Shariful Mallick and Farid SK were produced in court on Saturday, which remanded them to 10 days’ police custody.Before inaugurating the police outpost, Adhikari also visited the family of the minor rape-murder victim. “The parents of the girl have co-operated with us from the very first. We are grateful to them. They named four persons in their complaint and all four have been arrested. I have assured them that the trial will be conducted while the accused remain in custody. I will personally monitor the progress of the case to ensure both conviction and execution of the sentence in accordance with law. We want this case to set a precedent,” the CM said.Adhikari said the appeal to set up a police outpost in Surjapur came from the girl’s family. The family had told him during his earlier visit that while their daughter would never return, they wanted a permanent police presence in the area so that such incidents could be prevented.The outpost will be staffed by two sub-inspectors, two inspectors, six male constables, two female constables and civic volunteers. It will also have a women’s help desk and a control room. Adhikari said the entire area would be brought under CCTV surveillance to strengthen security and improve monitoring.Calling for a return to normality, the CM appealed to residents to reopen shops and resume daily life without fear. “Ordinary citizens have nothing to fear. Only killers, rapists and those who vandalise public property and railway infrastructure should be afraid. It is our duty to act against them,” Adhikari said.He also directed police to launch a special two-week statewide drive against illegal liquor dens and drug cartels.(With inputs from Monotosh Chakraborty)
