Kolkata: Five police officers, including a Deputy Commissioner, were injured during a clash with villagers in Burdwan district, West Bengal, following the discovery of a youth’s body under mysterious circumstances on Thursday.
Upon receiving notification, police arrived and, in accordance with protocol, recovered the body of 22-year-old Pallab for a post-mortem. However, tensions flared when Pallab’s family accused the police of taking the body without their knowledge, leading local villagers to ransack nearby homes and shops and vandalize parked bicycles and motorcycles.
When a police unit and Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Gupta of the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate arrived to restore order, they were met with an aggressive response from the villagers, who attacked the officers and hurled stones and bricks at them.
Several officers sustained injuries, with Gupta suffering a wound to his forehead. In response, police conducted a lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
Local residents informed law enforcement and the media that Pallab had been involved with a local married woman. On Wednesday night, he was discovered at her home by her husband, who subsequently locked him in a room. Pallab’s body was found in that same room the following morning.
The police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. “At first glance, it appears the youth may have committed suicide due to fear of social humiliation. However, the exact reason will be confirmed once the post-mortem report is received,” stated a local police official.
In a media briefing, Gupta explained, “It is the police’s primary responsibility to recover the body of the victim and transfer it to the hospital, which we have done.” He also confirmed that five police personnel, including himself, were injured during the unrest, but reassured that the situation is now under control.
