Bengal: Rape-murder accused shot dead in 'self-defence', CM cites police free hand

A man accused of the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl was gunned down by police about 70km from Calcutta on Monday night after he allegedly snatched an officer’s revolver and fired after a “reconstruction” of the crime.

The police said Prahlad Das was killed in retaliatory firing by the police in North 24-Parganas’ Gaighata.

According to the police account, the team was returning after completing the exercise when Das wanted to get off the vehicle to relieve himself.

As the vehicle stopped and Das stepped out, he allegedly snatched the service revolver of a sub-inspector and opened fire. A bullet is said to have grazed an officer on duty.

The Gaighata case dates back to Saturday night, October 24, when the Class XI student was reported missing after a musical programme near her home.

Her body was found behind a relative’s house on Sunday morning. Preliminary findings indicated multiple injuries, including marks on her head and face. The police suspected rape and murder and arrested Das based on a complaint by the girl’s family.

The police described the shooting as “an act of self-defence”.

However, the circumstances surrounding the encounter triggered questions about the sequence of events and the need for an independent examination of the police version.

Hours later, another encounter was reported in Murshidabad, where a man arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a BJP worker was shot dead when he allegedly snatched a CID officer’s revolver and opened fire.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Tuesday evening: “The police have already explained the reasons behind the encounter. There is no need for me to comment further. The fact that the accused was a BJP worker is irrelevant. When someone takes the law into their own hands, the police cannot remain silent spectators.”

He was speaking after a meeting with senior officers at the state police headquarters, Bhabani Bhawan, on Tuesday evening.

Suvendu said: “The police have been given a free hand in two areas: combating drug addiction and ensuring the safety and security of women. The police are free to take whatever action is necessary wherever required in these two areas. I will stand firmly by the police and shield them in the discharge of their duties. We want to establish the rule of law. There is no place for rapists and goons.”

The Gaighata incident bore uneasy resemblance to the killing of an accused in a child-rape case in South 24-Parganas’ Baruipur in July. In that instance, one of the accused in the rape and murder of a girl, Prabhas Mondal, was shot dead by the police after he allegedly snatched a sub-inspector’s gun and opened fire during a late-night crime-scene reconstruction.

The chief minister had then said he had promised justice to the slain girl’s family and it had been delivered.

A police officer attached to the Gaighata case said: “In connection with the Gaighata police case dated October 25, 2026, registered under sections of rape and murder and Section 6 of the Pocso (Protection of children against sexual offences) Act, the investigating officer and other police personnel took accused Prahlad Das to the scene of the crime around 11.50pm on October 26 for a reconstruction of the incident….

“Das snatched the service revolver of a sub-inspector and fired three rounds at him in an alleged attempt to escape police custody. In retaliation, other officers fired four rounds, which hit Das. The sub-inspector sustained minor injuries, and the police vehicle was damaged.”

The duty medical officer at Chandpara block primary health centre (BPHC) declared Das dead.

For the slain girl’s parents, Das’s death brought a sense of relief, they said. “We will never get our daughter back. But at least this man is dead now,” the bereaved father said, breaking down.

Human rights activist Sujato Bhadra questioned the police’s account and alleged that the encounter was staged, drawing parallels with the Baruipur case. He argued that the police could not assume the role of the judge and the executioner and deliver justice through lethal force.

“If the police start delivering justice in this manner, there is no need for the judiciary,” Bhadra said, calling for Calcutta High Court to intervene.

Bhadra demanded the suspension of the officers involved and the registration of a murder case, arguing that the police should have to establish before a court that the shooting was genuinely an act of self-defence.

The mother of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024 did not agree with Bhadra’s line of thinking. She acknowledged the pain that the death would cause to the mother of the accused but argued that such police action could instil fear among potential offenders.

She added that she wanted the accused in her daughter’s case to face the strongest punishment and argued that similar action could deter people from committing such crimes.

State food minister and the BJP’s MLA from Bongaon North, Ashok Kirtania, congratulated the Bengal government for the “tough move”.

“If someone hits the police, why would they (the police) remain silent? This government under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari is very strong and will not tolerate anything like this. How could the man even muster the courage to attack the police after committing such a heinous crime?” Kirtania said.