Baruipur encounter death splits Bengal parties, Moitra cries 'jungle law'
Synopsis
The police encounter killing of Pravas Mondal — accused in the Baruipur child rape-murder case — has cracked open a rare public rift inside the TMC itself, with Mahua Moitra calling it 'jungle law' while a rival faction legislator defended it. The BJP cheered; the Congress demanded a probe. The case now tests whether West Bengal's law-and-order narrative can survive its own contradictions.
Key Takeaways
Pravas Mondal , accused in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas , was killed in a police encounter in the early hours of 8 July .
Police say Mondal snatched a service rifle during a crime-scene reconstruction on Tuesday night and fired at officers before being shot.
TMC Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra condemned the encounter as 'jungle law'; TMC legislator Siuli Saha defended it as legally permissible.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said the incident proved no criminal could escape law due to political patronage.
Congress state president Suvankar Sarkar demanded a high-level probe, insisting justice must come through a proper trial.
Mondal was the first of four accused arrested; the trial and the fate of the remaining three accused remain under scrutiny.
The police encounter death of Pravas Mondal — the first of four accused arrested in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal — has sharply divided political opinion across the state. Mondal died in the early hours of Wednesday, 8 July after being shot during what police describe as an escape attempt at the crime scene.
What Happened at the Crime Scene
According to police, Mondal was taken to the Baruipur site on Tuesday night for a crime-scene reconstruction. There, he allegedly snatched a service rifle from one of the escorting officers and attempted to flee. When personnel gave chase, Mondal reportedly opened fire with the seized weapon, prompting counter-fire from the police. He was shot, rushed to a local hospital, and declared dead on arrival.
The sequence of events — as stated by police — follows a pattern seen in several high-profile encounter cases across Indian states, where the official account of an accused seizing a weapon has drawn both support and scepticism. Independent verification of the police version has not yet been established.
Trinamool Split: Moitra vs Saha
The encounter has exposed an unusual fault line within the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), with two of its own voices taking diametrically opposite positions.
Mahua Moitra, TMC Lok Sabha member and a prominent face aligned with the faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, condemned the killing outright on social media. 'Baruipur rape murder accused Prabhash Mondal killed in encounter! What is going on @WBPolice? Bengalis please welcome new Bengal — Uttar Pradesh 2.0. @BJP4Bengal has no government. This is jungle law,' Moitra wrote.
In contrast, Siuli Saha, a TMC legislator aligned with the rebel faction led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, defended the encounter within legal limits. 'There is a provision for legal encounters. If a criminal attacks the police while fleeing, then he can be encountered. We are trusting what the state government is saying. We always want the rapists to be punished to the fullest extent. However, at the same time I feel that encounters should always be controlled by the state administration,' Saha said.
What the BJP and Congress Said
Samik Bhattacharya, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president in West Bengal and Rajya Sabha member, welcomed the outcome, saying the incident validated the government's stated zero-tolerance stance. 'This incident proved that no criminal would be spared and no one would escape the clutches of law just because of the blessings of politicians,' Bhattacharya said.
Suvankar Sarkar, the West Bengal Congress president, took a more cautious line, demanding a high-level inquiry into the encounter. Sarkar argued that justice must be delivered through a proper trial and conviction, not extrajudicial action.
Broader Context and What Comes Next
The Baruipur case — involving the alleged rape and murder of a minor — had already drawn intense public outrage before the encounter. Mondal was the first of four accused to be taken into custody. The fate of the remaining three accused, and the trajectory of the criminal trial, will now face renewed scrutiny given the controversy surrounding Mondal's death.
Calls for an independent probe are likely to intensify, particularly from opposition quarters and civil liberties groups, as the political battle over law and order in West Bengal deepens ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.
Point of View
Independent verification of the police account — which, as in similar cases nationally, remains the weakest link in encounter jurisprudence.
NationPress
8 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Pravas Mondal and why was he arrested?
Pravas Mondal was the first of four accused arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He was taken into custody before being killed in a police encounter on 8 July.
What happened during the Baruipur encounter?
According to police, Mondal was brought to the crime scene on Tuesday night for a reconstruction of the incident. He allegedly snatched a service rifle from an escorting officer, attempted to flee, and opened fire — prompting counter-fire in which he was shot. He was declared dead at a local hospital.
Why did Mahua Moitra condemn the encounter?
TMC Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra called it 'jungle law' and compared West Bengal to Uttar Pradesh, suggesting the encounter was extrajudicial and outside the rule of law. Her statement was posted on social media and drew wide attention given her party leads the state government.
What is the BJP's position on the Baruipur encounter?
BJP West Bengal state president Samik Bhattacharya welcomed the encounter, saying it proved the government's zero-tolerance stance and that no criminal could escape justice through political connections.
What happens next in the Baruipur case?
Three other accused in the Baruipur rape-murder case remain in custody. Congress has demanded a high-level probe into the encounter, and calls for independent scrutiny of the police account are expected to grow as the case proceeds.
