Crack eggs on intellectuals: Bengal Minister jabs Baruipur encounter critics
Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh attacked opposition leaders and intellectuals as the Baruipur encounter triggered a political row. The killing of rape-murder accused Prabhash Mondal has sharpened questions over police action and due process.
A fresh political storm has erupted in West Bengal after the prime accused in the rape-murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur was killed in a police encounter earlier this week.
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh launched a blistering attack on critics of the encounter, saying people should "not waste eggs just anywhere" but instead "crack them on the heads of these intellectuals."
Prabhash Mondal, one of the four people arrested in connection to the case, was killed on Tuesday as he tried to snatch a policeman's gun during a crime scene reconstruction.
The girl's body was found stuffed inside a sack in a pond in Baruipur on Sunday, triggering widespread outrage and violent protests in the area.
As the ruling BJP defended the encounter as evidence of its "zero tolerance" policy towards crimes against women, Ghosh, in his attack, accused opposition leaders and intellectuals of habitually siding with criminals under the guise of defending justice.
"Whenever crime has risen in society, these Communists and intellectuals have stood behind the criminals. They protest when a crime occurs, and then they protest again when the criminal is punished," he told reporters.
Escalating his attack, he added, "Do not waste eggs just anywhere; crack them on the heads of these intellectuals. Make it clear that they are anti-social. The criminal and those who support criminals should receive equal treatment."
Ghosh's remarks come amid a war of words between the ruling party and the opposition in West Bengal over the encounter.
The BJP has projected the encounter as evidence of its promise to crack down on crimes against women after assuming power in the state.
While party spokesperson Debjit Sarkar described Mondal's death as "divine justice", state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the government was delivering on its pledge that "no criminal or rapist would be spared."
The strongest criticism, however, came from the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC camp, with MP Mahua Moitra likening the incident to the "Uttar Pradesh model".
"What is going on, WB Police? Bengalis, welcome to Bengal-Uttar Pradesh 2.0. BJP is no government. This is jungle law," she said in a social media post, questioning the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy said that the incident reflected a complete breakdown of police accountability.
However, the issue exposed the fault lines within the divided TMC.
The TMC rebel faction, however, backed the police version and defended the government's action.
Party leader and Keshpur MLA Shiuli Saha said the law permits an encounter if an accused attacks the police while attempting to flee.
On its part, the Congress argued that public outrage over a heinous crime could not become a substitute for due process.
While state party chief Shubhankar Sarkar has demanded an enquiry into the encounter, while leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticised the police's handling of the case.
Veteran CPI(M) leader and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya alleged that the encounter was "pre-planned" and claimed Mondal had been eliminated before he could reveal the larger truth behind the crime.
Several intellectuals have also questioned the police version, arguing that the accused may have been turned into a scapegoat.
A fresh political storm has erupted in West Bengal after the prime accused in the rape-murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur was killed in a police encounter earlier this week.
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh launched a blistering attack on critics of the encounter, saying people should "not waste eggs just anywhere" but instead "crack them on the heads of these intellectuals."
Prabhash Mondal, one of the four people arrested in connection to the case, was killed on Tuesday as he tried to snatch a policeman's gun during a crime scene reconstruction.
The girl's body was found stuffed inside a sack in a pond in Baruipur on Sunday, triggering widespread outrage and violent protests in the area.
As the ruling BJP defended the encounter as evidence of its "zero tolerance" policy towards crimes against women, Ghosh, in his attack, accused opposition leaders and intellectuals of habitually siding with criminals under the guise of defending justice.
"Whenever crime has risen in society, these Communists and intellectuals have stood behind the criminals. They protest when a crime occurs, and then they protest again when the criminal is punished," he told reporters.
Escalating his attack, he added, "Do not waste eggs just anywhere; crack them on the heads of these intellectuals. Make it clear that they are anti-social. The criminal and those who support criminals should receive equal treatment."
Ghosh's remarks come amid a war of words between the ruling party and the opposition in West Bengal over the encounter.
The BJP has projected the encounter as evidence of its promise to crack down on crimes against women after assuming power in the state.
While party spokesperson Debjit Sarkar described Mondal's death as "divine justice", state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the government was delivering on its pledge that "no criminal or rapist would be spared."
The strongest criticism, however, came from the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC camp, with MP Mahua Moitra likening the incident to the "Uttar Pradesh model".
"What is going on, WB Police? Bengalis, welcome to Bengal-Uttar Pradesh 2.0. BJP is no government. This is jungle law," she said in a social media post, questioning the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy said that the incident reflected a complete breakdown of police accountability.
However, the issue exposed the fault lines within the divided TMC.
The TMC rebel faction, however, backed the police version and defended the government's action.
Party leader and Keshpur MLA Shiuli Saha said the law permits an encounter if an accused attacks the police while attempting to flee.
On its part, the Congress argued that public outrage over a heinous crime could not become a substitute for due process.
While state party chief Shubhankar Sarkar has demanded an enquiry into the encounter, while leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticised the police's handling of the case.
Veteran CPI(M) leader and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya alleged that the encounter was "pre-planned" and claimed Mondal had been eliminated before he could reveal the larger truth behind the crime.
Several intellectuals have also questioned the police version, arguing that the accused may have been turned into a scapegoat.
