The ‘Aparajita’ Gang-Rape and Murder Case in Baruipur
A Preliminary Fact-Finding Report
On Saturday, July 4, 2026, a 12-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Suryapur, Baruipur, South 24 Parganas. After being missing for a day, her body was recovered on the morning of July 5, 2026, from a pond adjacent to Suryapur station. Her family alleges that she was raped and murdered. Preliminary police investigations indicate that the girl was a victim of gang rape; she was beaten, struck on the head, and thrown into the pond while still semi-conscious. The incident has caused significant unrest in the area.
Three individuals have already been arrested on charges of rape and murder: Ananda Sardar, Prabhas Mondal, and Dibakar Sardar. Following the recovery of the girl’s body, a young man named Indra Tanti died after being subjected to mob violence (lynching).
On July 6, 2026, a fact-finding team visited the area, representing organizations dedicated to workers’ rights, women’s rights, and human rights—specifically the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, Shramajibi Mahila Samity, and ‘Amra Ek Sachetan Prayas’. The team spoke with the deceased girl’s father, relatives, neighbors, and local residents. Many did not wish to disclose their identities; out of respect for their requests, their real names have been withheld from this report. In accordance with the law, the names of the victim (the deceased girl) and her close family members cannot be disclosed; consequently, they have not been revealed here.
This is an interim report. Based on conversations with the local people of Suryapur and our own observations, we are also attaching a charter of demands to this report.
When contacted, the police referred to the post-mortem report. The report indicates that the girl was still alive when she was thrown into the pond. Doctors stated in their preliminary observations that water was found in her stomach, confirming she was alive at the time of immersion. The police reported that there were over 28 injury marks on her body, excessive bleeding from a head wound, and that she ultimately died by drowning. Cases have been registered against the accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita—specifically Sections 65 [rape], 70(2) [gang rape], 103(1) [murder], 238 [destruction of evidence], and 61 [criminal conspiracy]—as well as under the POCSO Act (Section 6) and Sections 137(2) and 140(2) [abduction of a minor].
She fought until the very end; therefore, to us, she is ‘Aparajita’ (The Unvanquished). In this report, she is referred to by the name ‘Aparajita’.
The members of the fact-finding team were: Suchitra Haldar, Khadija Khatun, Namita Haldar, Rehana Khatun, Nirmala Sardar, Faruk Ul Islam, and Shuvapratim Roy Chowdhury.
[1]
We arrived at Suryapur station at 10:00 AM. The pond where Aparajita’s body was recovered is located a short distance from the station. A police officer was deployed there. The area at the Sealdah end of this station—situated on the Sealdah-Lakshmikantapur railway line—is desolate. The water body lies far below the elevated railway tracks. There are a few shanties or slum-like clusters nearby, but there appeared to be no signs of habitation. The area serves as a hangout for local anti-social elements; it is known that their activity increases at night.
Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed everywhere between the station and Suryapur market. The shops in the market were open. When we visited Aparajita’s home, five or six relatives were present, along with police personnel in plainclothes.
Her father and others
We spoke with Aparajita’s father at their home. Naturally, he was in no state to converse. Her mother was not there; she was at their village home in Ratanpur. Her father runs a timber business. Their family consists of three daughters and a son. ‘Aparajita’ was his youngest daughter; she was a fifth-grade student at the local Keyatala High School. Her father said:
“I demand the death penalty for the accused. We also urge the government to ensure the strictest possible punishment for my daughter’s killers.” Someone standing nearby speaks up—
—I won’t say much. We want the death penalty. The police administration is here, so I won’t say too much. Since the Chief Minister is visiting tomorrow, nothing more can be said on this matter.
—Is the Chief Minister coming tomorrow?
—Yes, he is coming.
The father says—
—Yes, he is coming. Since he has given his word…
—So, do you have faith in the Chief Minister?
—Yes, we do.
Another person standing nearby adds—
—Yes, we have complete faith.
The teenager’s father mentions that he spoke to the Chief Minister over the phone and he is coming tomorrow. He stated that he demanded the death penalty for the accused, and he assured him that he would honor his request. However, he asked him not to discuss the matter with anyone else. He further noted that police are constantly present at his home and have even kept his phone with them. The father, along with others present, stated that all the accused are BJP workers and supporters.
Helal Laskar (name changed) was present at the house. He described the brutal manner in which she was killed. He is from Ratanpur, where Aparajita’s father has his ancestral home. He spoke with considerable indignation—
—You see so much police presence now, with them moving in and out of the house; but if they had acted promptly after the girl went missing, perhaps she would still be alive.
—Do you have grievances regarding the police’s role?
—Certainly. Why did the police let the prime suspect go based on a BJP leader’s word? It was only later, seeing the villagers’ anger and facing pressure from above, that they sprang into action.
—Who applied the pressure?
—The state government.
—Are you referring to the Chief Minister?
—Yes, he called. He said he would come. Let him actually do something; then we’ll see.
—Mamata Banerjee wanted to come.
—What will she achieve by coming? Wasn’t the R.G. Kar incident under her administration? Tamanna was murdered by goons from her own party. Who killed Anis Khan? What was her role in that?
We spoke with neighbors and relatives in front of the deceased teenager’s home. It was primarily Bablu Molla who spoke to us there.
Bablu Molla
– There were about 50,000 to 60,000 of us here—people from five or six villages—gathered at Suryapur Bazar. Instead of talking to us or cooperating, the police tried to disperse the crowd by resorting to a lathi-charge. This enraged the public. One person, Indra Tanti, died amidst the public outcry. This incident occurred precisely because the police provoked the crowd by lathi-charging them. Had that not happened, there would have been no need to deploy such a heavy police presence here.
– What do you think is the reason behind this police bias?
– We cannot say exactly why the police acted with bias or what the full story is; we don’t know their motives. A local BJP leader named Shantanu influenced the police earlier that morning to secure the release of the prime accused, Anand; Shantanu was behind such actions. So, standing here now, we don’t know why the police acted the way they did. However, we remain hopeful about the assurances given by the IG and the Chief Minister—that the girl will receive justice and the accused will face the harshest possible punishment. That is all we are hoping for.
– Is there any communal tension surrounding this incident?
– No, there is no Hindu-Muslim issue here. Suryapur has long been a place of communal harmony. Hindus and Muslims live together here like brothers. They join us for Eid, and we participate in their Puja celebrations. We are invited to each other’s events and play sports together. We sit and have tea together; in fact, I was just having tea right there (pointing to a tea stall) with a Hindu friend of mine.
– So, what is the situation like here generally? How are Hindu-Muslim relations?
– Suryapur has long been a place of harmony. (Speaking in unison)
Jagannath Mondal (name changed)
He owns a shop in Suryapur Bazar. We spoke briefly; he was reluctant to say much.
– We want the perpetrators of this crime to be punished. The girl used to visit my shop, too. My voice still trembles when I try to speak about it. What can I say? Anti-social elements have been rampant in the area for ages. There are drug rings.
– Are they still active?
– Yes, they are around. Does anyone ever confront these anti-social elements?
– The government has changed; hasn’t anything else changed?
– What can I say about that? (Speaking somewhat cautiously)
– Someone died in a mob lynching yesterday; what do you have to say about that?
– The public won’t spare anyone involved, whether directly or indirectly. However, this has further heightened tension in the area.
– By tension, do you mean between Hindus and Muslims?
– I can’t speak about that. (Becoming even more cautious now, as some customers had arrived at the shop)
[2]
Regarding the death by mob lynching
Generally, no one wanted to speak about this matter. Roshan Molla (name changed) owns a pharmacy. Initially, he said he wasn’t present at the time. Later, he remarked—
– When the common people get enraged, there’s nothing to be done.
– But is it right to take the law into one’s own hands?
– Look, the public doesn’t think about such things. Besides, if the police hadn’t let the killer go, the public wouldn’t have gotten so angry.
He didn’t want to say anything more. We spoke to the owner of a local fruit shop. He mentioned that at the time of the incident, there were thousands of people there—folks from all the surrounding villages.
When asked what might happen if the state government took legal action against them, he fell silent. He said, “I can’t talk about these things.”
Others
A tea stall owner—originally from Bihar—who has run his shop in Suryapur market for a long time. We met Jinnat’s mother (name changed) there. Amanat Molla (name changed), who was sitting in the shop, mentioned that Jinnat’s mother knew what had happened to Jinnat. Just as Jinnat’s mother began to speak—”They used to taunt my daughter…”—someone shouted from the balcony of a house across the street: “Don’t open your mouth to anyone, Jinnat’s mother. Stay quiet.” After that, she didn’t say anything else. We didn’t press the issue either. When asked who they were, Amanat Molla replied, “Who else but the ones who perpetrated this heinous act? They are involved in everything—from human trafficking to the drug trade.”
Generally, most people state that five to six individuals are directly or indirectly involved in the incident. The teenager had left home on Saturday afternoon to buy food and has not been seen since. Her family alleges that four individuals abducted her; they suspect she was gang-raped and murdered. One of the accused was released from the police station on Sunday after Shantanu Mondal exerted influence in the matter. According to neighbors, this Shantanu Mondal is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mandal President for four local gram panchayats.
Local accounts reveal that the accused, Ananda Mondal, has previously faced allegations of harassing women. Reports indicate that the driver of the auto-rickshaw used to abduct the teenager died after being beaten by a mob. No one was willing to comment when we inquired about this. An atmosphere of fear and tension prevails in the area. Even while speaking at the teenager’s home, we noticed the presence of plainclothes police officers.
Those present at the teenager’s home unanimously stated that people from both Hindu and Muslim communities are demanding punishment for the perpetrators. However, they are apprehensive about the way the news is being reported in various media outlets and the fact that a religious angle is being attributed to the incident.
We spoke over the phone with Srikumar Mukhopadhyay, a teacher at Keyatala High School. He described Aparajita as a very good girl, noting that the entire school is shocked and grief-stricken. He asked us to visit the school to discuss the matter further, as he was reluctant to say much over the phone.
In light of this, we place the following demands before the administration:
- All the accused, including Shantanu Mondal, must be arrested immediately.
- An investigation should be conducted to determine whether the abduction, rape, and brutal murder are part of a larger conspiracy.
- There are allegations of an active minor trafficking ring across South 24 Parganas; accounts from local residents have highlighted the existence of trafficking and drug networks in the area.
- The police’s inaction and their role in shielding the accused are evident. The culpable police officers must be identified and legal action taken against them.
- We have observed excessive police zeal, causing people to fear speaking out. An atmosphere free from intimidation must be maintained in the area; ‘police raj’ will not be tolerated.
- All those accused of involvement in mob lynching and murder must be arrested. The rule of law must be established in the area.
- Vigilance is required to ensure that no communal tension or violence occurs.
July 7, 2026
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Published by Paschim Banga Khet-Majdoor Samity, Shramajibi Mahila Samity, and ‘Amra Ek Sachetan Prayas’.
*Update
On Monday, July 6, the body of a man was recovered from the same pond where the lifeless body of a 12-year-old girl had previously been found. According to police and local sources, the deceased has been identified as Krishnakanta Haldar; he had been missing since the previous Friday.
Prabhas Mondal, one of the accused arrested in connection with the gang-rape and murder of a minor girl in Baruipur, has died in police firing. He was the first to be arrested in the case. Police sources state that on the night of Tuesday, July 7, he was taken to the crime scene for a reconstruction of the incident. It is alleged that he attempted to escape after snatching a firearm from the police and was killed in the ensuing retaliatory fire.
8th July 2026