Kolkata: Five police personnel, including a Deputy Commissioner, were injured in an attack by the villagers in West Bengal’s Burdwan district after the recovery of a youth’s body under mysterious circumstances on Thursday.
After getting information, the police came and, as per the rule, recovered the body of the deceased youth Pallab (22) for sending it to the post-mortem.
However, the tension started after Pallab’s family members accused the cops of taking away the body without informing them.
The charges by the family members irked the local villagers, who ransacked some local houses and shops and also smashed some bicycles and motorcycles parked there.
When a police contingent and Deputy Commissioner (East) of Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, Abhishek Gupta, reached the spot to bring the situation under control, angry villagers attacked the cops and pelted stones and bricks at them.
Several cops were injured. Gupta was hit on his forehead. Later, the police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the agitated mob.
Local people told the police and the media that Pallab had an affair with a local married woman. On Wednesday night, Pallab went to her residence and was caught by the woman’s husband. Thereafter, the latter locked Pallab in a room.
Pallab’s body was recovered from the room where he was locked in the morning.
The police had also started investigating the reasons behind his death.
“Prima facie, it seems that the youth committed suicide fearing loss of social prestige. However, the real reason behind the death will be known only after the post-mortem report is available,” said a local police official.
Later, speaking to the media persons, Gupta said: “It is the prime duty of the police to recover the body of the victim and transfer it to a hospital. We have exactly done that.”
He also informed that a total of five police personnel, including him, were injured in the chaos.
“However, the situation is under control now,” said Gupta.
(IANS)
