BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has said West Bengal police have been given a “free hand” to act against people accused of crimes such as rape and molestation, after two police encounters were reported in the state on the same day. His remarks were made at a rally in Raiganj and were reported by Sangbad Pratidin.
According to the report, Adhikari said the protection of women and girls would not be compromised and warned that police would do what was necessary against those accused of sexual violence. “I have given the police a free hand. If someone commits rape or molestation, the police will do whatever is necessary,” he was quoted as saying.
The remarks came after police reported the deaths of two accused men in separate incidents in Gaighata in North 24 Parganas and Samsherganj in Murshidabad. The cases were linked respectively to the alleged rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl and the murder of a businessman.
The source report said both men had been taken into police custody to the alleged crime scenes for reconstruction of events. In both cases, police alleged that the accused seized firearms and tried to escape. Police then opened fire, and the two men died from gunshot injuries, according to the report.
In Gaighata, the deceased was identified as Prahlad Das, who had been arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl. In Samsherganj, the deceased was identified as Samaul Sheikh, who had been arrested in the case involving the murder of businessman Sujit Mondal.
The incidents have placed the use of police force during custodial crime-scene reconstruction at the centre of public attention. The account supplied by the source attributes the escape attempts and exchange of fire to the police, but it does not include independent findings from a judicial inquiry, a police accountability body or a court order. Those details remain important in establishing how the encounters unfolded and whether prescribed procedures were followed.
The report also linked the latest incidents to an earlier encounter in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, involving Prabhas Mondal, who had been arrested in a case concerning the rape and murder of a minor. That incident was described as having taken place about three months earlier.
Adhikari’s comments therefore came against a backdrop of repeated police encounters involving suspects in serious criminal cases. His statement indicated political support for strong police action, while the supplied report did not provide details of any official investigation, post-mortem findings or subsequent legal proceedings in the Gaighata and Samsherganj cases. Further updates are expected from the police and other authorities handling the investigations.
