West Bengal Police have arrested all five principal masterminds behind the lynching of 26-year-old Indrajit Tanti at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district, officials confirmed on 11 July. Tanti was falsely branded as a suspect in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl before being killed by a mob on 5 July — a charge that police investigations later found to be baseless.

How the Arrests Unfolded

Two of the accused masterminds were taken into custody in an earlier round of arrests. Three more were apprehended in the early hours of Saturday following night-long operations, according to an official source within the Baruipur District Police, under whose jurisdiction both crimes occurred. Police have declined to publicly identify the three latest detainees until they are produced before a district court in South 24 Parganas, where the public prosecutor is expected to seek police remand.

What Triggered the Violence

The body of the minor girl was recovered from a pond in the Suryapur area of Baruipur on the morning of 5 July. The discovery sparked widespread violence the same afternoon. Tanti, who had no proven connection to the crime, was set upon by a mob and killed. He was subsequently declared innocent by the state government based on police findings.

The unrest extended beyond the lynching. Rioters vandalised railway tracks and police vehicles, and attacked police personnel. Authorities registered three separate FIRs — one relating to the crime against the girl, one for Tanti's lynching, and a third covering the broader hooliganism and destruction of public property.

The Rape-Murder Case: Separate Track

In the parallel investigation into the girl's death, police had earlier arrested four persons. One of those accused was killed in a police encounter earlier this week after allegedly snatching a firearm from an escorting officer and attempting to flee custody, according to police. That account has not been independently verified.

Chief Minister's Scheduled Visit

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's office confirmed a visit to Baruipur later on 11 July to inaugurate a new police outpost in the Suryapur area — the same locality where both the girl's murder and Tanti's lynching took place. The visit is being seen as a signal of administrative attention to an area that has witnessed two violent episodes within days.

Notably, the source article attributes a declaration of Tanti's innocence to 'Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari' — however, Suvendu Adhikari is the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, not the Chief Minister. NationPress has preserved the attribution as reported, pending official clarification.

What Comes Next

With all five alleged masterminds now in custody, investigators are expected to reconstruct the chain of misinformation that led to Tanti being falsely identified as a suspect. The broader question of how a mob mobilised so rapidly — and whether digital platforms or local networks amplified the false accusation — remains under scrutiny. The court hearings for the accused are likely to be closely watched by civil society groups monitoring mob violence in West Bengal.