Baruipur lynching: 8th arrest made as police hunt more suspects in West Bengal
Synopsis
Eight people are now in custody for the mob lynching of Indrajit Tanti at Baruipur — a man police had cleared of the rape-murder that sparked the violence. With more suspects absconding and three parallel investigations running, the case has become West Bengal's most politically charged law-and-order flashpoint of the year.
Key Takeaways
Sakim Lashkar arrested on 15 July as the 8th accused in the Baruipur mob lynching case.
Victim Indrajit Tanti , 26, was lynched on 5 July despite being cleared by police in the alleged rape-murder of a 12-year-old girl .
Police have registered three separate cases : rape-murder of the minor, the lynching, and the broader area violence.
42 persons arrested in connection with the violence; 4 arrested in the rape-murder case, one of whom — Pravas Mondal — was killed in a police encounter.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari handed ₹25 lakh compensation to Tanti's family and announced a state police job for his elder brother.
Police say more suspects are absconding and further arrests are imminent.
An eighth person has been arrested in connection with the mob lynching of 26-year-old Indrajit Tanti at Baruipur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on 5 July, police confirmed on Wednesday, 15 July. The lynching followed the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in the area, a case that has triggered a wave of arrests across three separate investigations.
Latest Arrest
The newly arrested individual has been identified as Sakim Lashkar. He is scheduled to be produced before a district court in South 24 Parganas later on Wednesday, where the public prosecutor is expected to seek police custody. Lashkar faces the same charges as the seven persons arrested earlier under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The charges include unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing a public servant, wilfully causing hurt to a public servant, and murder by lynching.
More Suspects Being Tracked
'Some more people have been identified as directly involved in the lynching of 26-year-old Indrajit Tanti. They are absconding now, and the investigation team members are also trying to track them. In the coming days, there will be more arrests in connection with the mob lynching incident,' said an officer from Baruipur District Police, under whose jurisdiction the crime scene falls.
Notably, this is the eighth arrest specifically tied to the lynching case — separate from the broader violence that erupted in the area.
Three Parallel Investigations
Police have registered three distinct cases stemming from the Baruipur incident. The first pertains to the alleged rape and murder of the minor girl, in which four persons have been arrested so far. One of them, Pravas Mondal, was killed in a police encounter after allegedly attempting to escape custody by snatching a firearm from an escorting officer.
The second case covers the mob lynching of Indrajit Tanti, who had been declared innocent in the rape-murder case following a police investigation. The third case addresses the widespread violence in the area — including the vandalisation of railway tracks and police vehicles, and attacks on police personnel — in which 42 persons have already been arrested.
State Response and Compensation
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Baruipur last week and handed over a compensation cheque of ₹25 lakh to the family of Indrajit Tanti. He also announced a civic volunteer position in the state police for Tanti's elder brother.
Adhikari further alleged that those who lost in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections were behind the mob-lynching conspiracy — a claim that has drawn political attention to the case.
With investigations still active across all three cases, further arrests are expected in the days ahead.
Point of View
Jury, and executioner against a man police subsequently cleared of the very charge that triggered the mob. That the state's response has included compensation and a job announcement — rather than solely a law-enforcement focus — reflects how deeply political the case has become. With three parallel investigations, 50-plus arrests across all cases, and suspects still at large, the institutional stress on Baruipur District Police is significant. The Chief Minister's allegation that election losers orchestrated the conspiracy, if unsubstantiated, risks politicising a criminal investigation that demands clinical, evidence-first handling.
NationPress
15 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was lynched in the Baruipur mob lynching case?
Indrajit Tanti , a 26-year-old man, was lynched by a mob at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, on 5 July. Police had already cleared him of involvement in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl that preceded the mob violence.
How many people have been arrested in the Baruipur lynching case?
As of 15 July, eight people have been arrested specifically in connection with the mob lynching of Indrajit Tanti. An additional 42 persons have been arrested for the broader violence in the area, and four for the rape-murder of the minor girl.
What charges do the accused in the lynching case face?
The accused have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 for offences including unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing a public servant, wilfully causing hurt to a public servant, and murder by lynching.
What compensation has the West Bengal government provided to the victim's family?
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Baruipur last week and handed over a ₹25 lakh compensation cheque to Indrajit Tanti's family. He also announced a civic volunteer post in the state police for Tanti's elder brother.
What happened to Pravas Mondal, one of the accused in the rape-murder case?
Pravas Mondal , one of four persons arrested in the rape-murder case involving the 12-year-old girl, was killed in a police encounter after allegedly trying to escape custody by snatching a firearm from an escorting officer.
