Baruipur pond yields second body after girl's rape-murder case
Synopsis
Two bodies, one pond, and a missing lynching victim — Baruipur has become the centre of a rapidly multiplying crisis. A 12-year-old girl's alleged rape and murder triggered mob violence on Sunday; by Monday afternoon a second body surfaced in the same pond, possibly that of the lynching victim, as three accused face police custody and the Chief Minister raised a contested communal angle.
Key Takeaways
The body of Krishnakanta Haldar was recovered from a pond in Baruipur , South 24 Parganas , on Monday afternoon — the same pond where a 12-year-old girl's body was found on Sunday morning .
Investigators have not confirmed whether Haldar is the youth reportedly lynched by a mob during Sunday's protests, or whether his death is linked to the girl's case.
Accused Pravas Mondal and Dibakar Sardar were remanded to 15 days' police custody ; prime accused Sanada Naskar is to be produced in court on Tuesday .
The Chief Minister demanded capital punishment for the accused and alleged a communal angle behind the lynching, drawing comparisons to CAA protests (2019) and Waqf Amendment Bill agitations.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163, BNSS 2023 have been imposed across three police station areas in the Baruipur Police District.
A second body was pulled from a pond in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, on Monday afternoon, 7 July 2025, compounding the mystery surrounding the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl whose body was recovered from the same water body on Sunday morning. The latest recovery has deepened concerns about the sequence of violence in the area.
Second Body Identified
The youth recovered from the pond has been identified as Krishnakanta Haldar. His body has been sent for post-mortem examination, confirmed Abhishek Ranjan, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Baruipur. Investigators are probing whether Haldar had any past enmity with anyone, and his family members have been contacted as part of the inquiry.
Critically, it remains unclear whether the recovery of Haldar's body is connected to the girl's death. Investigators have also not confirmed whether he is the same individual who was reportedly lynched by a violent mob on Sunday during protests over the girl's killing — a person whose body had been missing since that incident.
Accused Produced Before Court
Two of the three individuals arrested in connection with the girl's alleged rape and murder — Pravas Mondal and Dibakar Sardar — were produced before a district court in Baruipur on Monday. The court remanded both to 15 days' police custody. The third accused, Sanada Naskar, arrested on Monday and suspected to be the prime accused, is scheduled to be produced before the same court on Tuesday.
Chief Minister's Remarks and Political Angle
The Chief Minister, speaking on Monday afternoon, pledged that the state administration would make an all-out effort to secure the most stringent punishment available, including capital punishment, for those convicted in the case. However, the Chief Minister also claimed that a communal angle lay behind the reported lynching of the youth, without elaborating further.
Notably, the Chief Minister drew a parallel between Sunday's violent protest demonstrations and previous episodes of unrest — specifically the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 and the more recent agitations against the Waqf Amendment Bill — suggesting a pattern of organised violence rather than spontaneous public outrage. Critics have questioned the framing, arguing that it risks deflecting attention from the primary crime.
Prohibitory Orders Imposed
Anticipating further tension, the Baruipur Police District has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, across areas under three police stations within its jurisdiction. The orders are intended to prevent fresh gatherings that could escalate the situation. The area remains on high alert as investigations into both deaths continue.
With a prime accused yet to be formally produced in court and the identity of the second body still being verified, the Baruipur case is expected to remain at the centre of political and law-enforcement scrutiny in the days ahead.
Point of View
A mob lynching, a missing body that may have now resurfaced, and a Chief Minister invoking communal framing before the forensics are even complete. The invocation of the CAA and Waqf protests as precedents for Sunday's violence is a political move that deserves scrutiny — it shifts the narrative from accountability for the girl's death to a law-and-order frame that the ruling party controls. The core question — who killed the 12-year-old and whether the second body is the lynching victim — risks being buried under political noise. West Bengal's track record of delayed justice in high-profile violence cases makes that a legitimate concern.
NationPress
6 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Baruipur, West Bengal?
A 12-year-old girl's body was recovered from a pond in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, on Sunday morning, with her family alleging rape and murder. The following Monday afternoon, a second body — identified as Krishnakanta Haldar — was found in the same pond, raising fresh questions about a possible lynching that occurred during Sunday's protests.
Who is Krishnakanta Haldar and how is he connected to the case?
Krishnakanta Haldar is the youth whose body was recovered from the Baruipur pond on Monday afternoon. It has not been confirmed whether he is the same person reportedly lynched by a mob during Sunday's protests over the girl's death, or whether his death is linked to the girl's alleged rape and murder.
Who has been arrested in the girl's rape and murder case?
Three people have been arrested: Pravas Mondal, Dibakar Sardar, and Sanada Naskar. Mondal and Sardar were remanded to 15 days' police custody on Monday. Naskar, suspected to be the prime accused, is to be produced before the Baruipur district court on Tuesday.
What did the Chief Minister say about the Baruipur violence?
The Chief Minister pledged an all-out effort to secure the harshest punishment, including capital punishment, for those convicted in the girl's case. He also claimed a communal angle behind the reported lynching and compared Sunday's protests to agitations against the CAA in 2019 and the Waqf Amendment Bill, though he did not elaborate on the alleged communal link.
What restrictions are in place in Baruipur?
The Baruipur Police District has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, covering areas under three police stations in its jurisdiction, to prevent fresh gatherings and potential violence.
