Mother of Bengal minor rape-murder accused rejects son's last rites (Img: Dynamite News)
Kolkata: The mother of Prabhash Mondol, the main accused in the alleged rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur, has refused to perform his last rites after he was killed in a police encounter, saying he had "received the punishment he deserved."
Mondol was killed early Wednesday after police said he allegedly attempted to escape by snatching a firearm from an officer during the reconstruction of the crime scene.
Speaking after being informed of her son's death, Mondol's mother, Sandhya, said police arrived at her home around 5 am and sought documents required for the final rites.
She said she neither wanted to see her son's body nor perform his last rites, adding that the police could complete the formalities. While expressing grief as a mother, she said her son had to face the consequences of his alleged actions.
Sandhya also claimed that her son struggled with substance abuse and often ignored the family's attempts to reform him.
She said they had repeatedly tried to guide him towards the right path but were unsuccessful.
According to police, Mondol was taken to the crime scene shortly after midnight to help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events.
During the exercise, he allegedly snatched a service weapon from a police officer, fired one round and attempted to flee. Police retaliated, injuring him in the exchange. He was later taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The case has sparked widespread outrage across West Bengal after the victim's body was recovered inside a sack on Sunday.
An autopsy confirmed sexual assault, following which police registered a case under murder, gangrape and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Three people have been arrested so far, and a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the case. The incident also triggered violent protests in Baruipur, where an alleged suspect was lynched by an angry mob and demonstrators damaged public property before police restored order.
