Less than a week after assuring the family of the minor girl allegedly raped and murdered in West Bengal's Baruipur that their demand for enhanced security would be addressed, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is set to inaugurate a new police outpost in the Surjapur area on Saturday.
The outpost has been setup within four days of the assurance given by the Chief Minister during his visit to the bereaved family earlier this week. According to reports, the facility is intended to strengthen policing in the locality and improve access to law enforcement for residents.
The demand for a permanent police outpost was raised by the victim's family when Suvendu Adhikari visited them on Tuesday. They had expressed concerns over the area's security and urged the government to ensure a stronger police presence in Surjapur.
Responding to the request, the Chief Minister had assured the family that the proposal would be acted upon immediately. "I have informed the Director General of Police and the Home Secretary about the family's demand. If required, a police outpost should be started immediately, even from a rented building," Adhikari had said.
Within hours of that assurance, preparations for the new outpost began. It will now become operational following its formal inauguration on Saturday.
According to a report filed by Anandabazar Patrika, Suvendu Adhikari's visit to Surjapur will last around 45 minutes. He is expected to first visit the residence of the minor victim's family before meeting the family of Indrajit Mondal, the man who was lynched by an angry mob in the aftermath of the crime. He will then inaugurate the police outpost before returning to Kolkata.
Until now, Surjapur only had a temporary police camp, primarily used to maintain law and order during emergencies. Residents had to travel nearly 10 kilometres to Baruipur Police Station to register complaints or access regular policing services.
With the new outpost becoming operational, local residents will be able to lodge written complaints within the locality itself. Police officials will also be able to initiate preliminary investigations directly from the outpost, significantly reducing response times.
According to reports, the new facility would have a larger deployment of personnel than the existing camp, including additional officers and staff. The enhanced presence is expected to improve routine patrolling, crime prevention measures and emergency response across the area.
The decision to establish the outpost comes in the wake of the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl, whose body was recovered from a pond in Surjapur on Sunday. The incident triggered widespread outrage and led to the lynching of a local resident, Indrajit Mondal, by an enraged crowd over suspicions of involvement.
During his visit on Tuesday, Suvendu Adhikari had stated that Indrajit Mondal was innocent and assured that those actually responsible for the crime would face the harshest punishment under the law.
Meanwhile, one of the accused in the rape and murder case, Prabhas Mondal, was killed in a police encounter late on Tuesday night during a crime scene reconstruction. According to the police, he allegedly attempted to snatch a service pistol, opened fire while trying to flee, and was shot dead in retaliatory firing. The remaining accused continue to remain in police custody.
The victim's family has expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the investigation has been conducted by the state police so far.
The encounter is now being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A team of CID officers, accompanied by forensic experts, is expected to visit the scene to collect evidence and examine the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
