Bengal school girl’s murder: Mob ransacks suspect’s house, VHP calls for bandh
The alleged rape and murder of a Class 11 school student in the Matigara area of north Bengal’s Siliguri on Monday has triggered protests in the region with a mob ransacking the house of the prime suspect, Md Abbas, 22, who was arrested hours after the crime, on Wednesday. The house of some of his neighbours were also not spared, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for a 12-hour local bandh on Thursday.
“A large police contingent had to be deployed to disperse the mob. VHP activists clashed with the police in several areas,” the police officer added.
The murder of the 17-year-old student has triggered condemnation in the entire hilly region. The student was in school uniform when her body was found by local people at a desolate place in the Matigara area. Preliminary investigation indicated that she was killed during an attempt of sexual assault, Abhishek Gupta, deputy commissioner of police, Siliguri, said on Tuesday.
Abbas was arrested late on Monday night from his home at the local Lenin Colony.
People staged a demonstration outside Siliguri court on Tuesday and heckled the accused when he was being taken to the court.
