Overview
- The girl went missing on July 4 and her body was recovered from a pond the next day, with preliminary autopsy findings confirming sexual assault, severe head injuries and that she had been dumped in a sack.
- Police have arrested four suspects in the case, including Prabhas (Prabhash) Mondal, Ananda Sardar, Dibakar Sardar and Kabir Molla, and formed a six‑member Special Investigation Team to probe the crime.
- Police say Mondal was shot after he allegedly grabbed a service firearm, fired one round and tried to flee during a late‑night crime‑scene reconstruction, and he was declared dead at a local hospital.
- The discovery of the body sparked violent local protests that included the lynching of an innocent man; the chief minister said the lynched man was not involved and officials have identified about 200 people responsible for vandalism and violence.
- The encounter has become a political flashpoint with the BJP praising the police action and opposition leaders and rights groups demanding independent or judicial probes while a magisterial inquest and the chief minister’s 72‑hour report proceed.