The autopsy of Prabhash Mondal, a key accused in the horrific gang-rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in West Bengal’s Baruipur area of South 24 Parganas district, has revealed that he sustained two gunshot wounds entering from the back while apparently attempting to flee.
According to reports citing the post-mortem examination conducted under National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines by a three-member medical board of forensic experts from government medical colleges, one bullet passed through Mondal’s right lung and the other exited near the right kidney. No bullets or fragments remained in the body, indicating clean through and through injuries from close range. The procedure included X-rays, extensive photographic documentation, and magisterial oversight, with the body later handed over to the family.
Mondal was killed in the early hours of July 8 during a crime scene reconstruction in a swampy, marshy area near Surjapur. Police officers stated that he suddenly snatched a service revolver from one of the team members (identified in reports as Circle Inspector Roni Sarkar), fired a shot that missed, and attempted to escape across the difficult terrain. Sub-Inspector Arghya Mondal, part of the six-member team, responded with retaliatory fire in self-defense. The accused was rushed to Baruipur Sub-Divisional Hospital, where he was declared dead.
The incident occurred at night, reportedly to align with the timing of the original crime and to avoid potential mob violence following earlier unrest and a lynching in the area that had already claimed an innocent life. Mondal had been a significant figure in the initial investigation; CCTV footage reportedly showed him with the victim, and he allegedly helped locate the body in a pond and named co-accused. Police described him as a crucial witness-turned-accused who confessed to luring the girl.
In line with standard protocols for police encounters, the local Baruipur police district is not conducting the inquiry into the firing. The West Bengal government has handed the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which will run a parallel independent investigation alongside an ongoing judicial inquiry. A senior officer noted that NHRC and Supreme Court guidelines require a probe headed by a senior officer not involved in the encounter. Statements from all six officers present have been or will be recorded, and forensic analysis of spent cartridges, weapons, and the site (including ballistic testing) is underway. No officers from the encounter team have been suspended.
An FIR has been registered regarding the incident. The CID team has already visited the spot for mapping and evidence collection. The underlying crime involved the alleged gangrape and brutal murder of a young schoolgirl, whose body was recovered from a pond. Autopsy findings on the victim reportedly indicated she was alive when placed in a sack and dumped, with signs of severe trauma. Three other accused - Ananda Sardar, Dibakar Sardar, and recently arrested Kabir Molla remain in custody and have been remanded for further questioning. Mondal’s role was described by some as central, including being the first to assault the victim according to co-accused statements.
