New Alipore police station
Kolkata:A mob of around 50 people stormed the New Alipore police station compound around 2 am on Tuesday, assaulted cops and tried to vandalise the premises, demanding that a man arrested for allegedly molesting a woman in the locality be handed over to them so they could deliver instant justice. The 24-year-old woman was returning home around 12.15 am on Tuesday when three men allegedly molested her under Durgapur Bridge in New Alipore. A team from the police station reached the spot around 12.55 am and took Kamath into custody. Trouble started when around 50 people accompanied the woman to the police station.
The incident came a day after Bengal’s fourth “encounter” death since last July. Cops called in reinforcement and lathicharged the attackers. Four men were arrested. A large contingent of cops in riot gear was deployed outside the police station. Hearing her cries, her brother rushed in and alerted residents. One of the accused, Jai Kumar Kamath, was caught, while the others fled. The woman was asked to visit the police station and lodge a complaint. Officers asked the crowd to stay outside, while the woman and her parents were requested to step in. The group, however, forcibly entered the premises and assaulted cops, demanding that Kamath be handed over to them. With the situation spiralling out of control, police resorted to lathicharge. Several cops sustained minor injuries. The woman’s father was also injured after falling amid the commotion. Four intruders — Sayantan Shome, Lucky Pandey, Swarup Das and Sourav Mallick — were detained and later arrested. Three of the four who died were accused of raping and murdering minor girls. Two cases have been registered in the New Alipore case. The first case was based on the woman’s complaint, while the other was registered following a complaint by Rahul Adhikari, a sub-inspector at the police station, alleging assault on cops and obstruction of govt duty.