In Baruipur’s Suryapur Hat area of South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, the gangrape and murder of a 12-year-old girl has triggered widespread outrage, protests, and incidents of mob violence. The girl’s body was recovered from a pond after she was reported missing, and the case has been registered under relevant sections, including rape, gangrape, murder and provisions of the POCSO Act. One of the key accused in the crime is Prabhas Mondal, who was killed in a police encounter on Tuesday while trying to flee from police custody.
In connection with the case, it was being alleged that local BJP worker Shantanu Mondal was helping Prabhas Mondal and other suspects by shielding them from the angry mob. It was also being alleged that he was using his influence to get them released from police custody. Some reports and social media users claimed that after locals caught the suspects and took them to a police outpost, Mondal intervened, leading to chaos during which one of the accused managed to flee. A viral video showing him escorting an accused further intensified public anger.
These claims led to mob fury, with Shantanu Mondal’s house being torched and vandalised by locals, and an innocent Hindu youth named Indrajit being lynched to death on false accusations of involvement in the crime. Some sections on social media and certain reports accused him of protecting the perpetrators. Notably, Suryapur Hat is close to the Bangladesh border with a significant Muslim population. The victim minor girl also belonged to a Muslim family.
Several residents alleged that Mondal stopped villagers from going near the pond before the girl’s body was recovered and tried to protect the prime accused. Some others claimed that after locals identified suspects through CCTV footage and handed them over to police, Mondal intervened to secure their release.
However, these allegations have been strongly countered by video evidence, audio clips and statements from senior BJP leaders. It has emerged that Shantanu Mondal was actually helping in catching the accused Prabhas Mondal. In viral videos and an audio clip, Mondal can be heard explaining that he had posted on Facebook about the missing girl, worked with neighbours to analyse CCTV footage, located the suspect and caught him. He added that the accused later confessed to the crime and led investigators to the pond where the victim’s body was recovered.
A blatant fake news in being spread that BJP has bailed out the 4 accused of the Baruipur incident. We have confirmed all are still in jail & NOBODY has gone free. Further allegations against BJP local leader Shantanu Mondal is in place (the man in black shirt). He has helped… pic.twitter.com/8wKf4mdFVp
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) July 6, 2026
While taking the accused away in a vehicle, he repeatedly appealed to the furious locals not to kill him but to hand him over to the police, describing the perpetrator as a “demon”, a “beast” and a “parasite of society” who had committed such a brutal act on a 12-year-old child. He also appealed to the Chief Minister for strict action so that “such animals cannot walk on society’s chest”.
He said, “There is no political conspiracy. We spent the entire night searching for the missing girl. I decided to hand over the accused to police to facilitate the investigation.”
Responding to allegations that he helped an accused flee, Mondal clarified that the suspect escaped from the Suryapur outpost when a large crowd attacked the premises and only one policeman was present. He said he had no role in the escape.
BJP’s Jadavpur organisational district president Manoranjan Joardar said that allegations against Shantanu are politically motivated. He added that Shantanu was working as an ordinary citizen, not BJP worker.
State Minister Agnimitra Paul clarified that Shantanu Mondal did not save or help free the accused but instead apprehended him and took him to the police station, adding that he was handing the perpetrator over to the authorities.
The misinformation spread by certain sections, including Islamists and Leftists, led to the burning of Mondal’s house and the lynching of the innocent youth Indrajit. While many had accused the BJP leader, videos and clips showed what actually happened. Therefore, while Shantanu Mondal prevented mob-lynching of an accused by handing him to the police, a Hindu youth was lynched by a Muslim mob over false allegations of being involved in the crime.
The accused Prabhas Mondal was killed in a police encounter on Tuesday night after he allegedly snatched a gun and opened fire at officers. Other suspects have been arrested, and the investigation continues under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s government, with assurances of the strictest punishment for those responsible for the heinous crime.
Two other accused arrested in the case are Dibakar Sarkar and Ananda Sardar. As per reports, Ananda Sarkar is prime accused and mastermind behind the crime.
According to the post-mortem report of the victim girl, she was raped, tortured and thrown into the water while she was still alive. The report found injuries to the girl’s genitals, including burn marks, and a blunt-force injury to the back of her head. It also found muddy water in her lungs, which suggests she was breathing when she was dumped into the pond, as per investigators.
Doctors concluded that excessive blood loss and drowning were the likely causes of death. It is suspected that she was killed on Saturday night.
