CPI (M) Leader Arrested Over Violence during Baruipur Rape-Murder Protest

Kolkata: CPI (M) leader Lahek Ali has been arrested in connection with the violence that erupted during protests over the rape and murder of a girl in West Bengal’s Baruipur, police said on Sunday. He is the first political leader to be held in the case linked to the July 5 unrest in Surjyapur, located in the South 24 Parganas district.

The protests began after the body of the girl, who had gone missing on July 4, was recovered from a pond in the Surjyapur Haat area the following day. Public outrage over the incident escalated into violence, during which an angry mob allegedly lynched a young man suspected of involvement in the crime. Police are continuing their investigation into both the murder and the subsequent violence.