Stripped and paraded, trio’s ordeal sharpens focus on Bengal’s mob-justice surge

Amid a growing spate of mob justice in West Bengal ever since the BJP came to power in May, three men were allegedly stripped at gunpoint and forced to walk naked along a public road in the south-western fringes of Kolkata after one of them was caught kissing a minor girl.

Police arrested three members of the girl's family, including her parents and maternal uncle, after the incident on Sunday (October 25) in the Sarsuna area of Behala, according to police officials. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and recording witness statements. The alleged firearm has not been recovered.

This latest case of public assault and humiliation has renewed concerns about a growing tendency to mete out punishment outside the law in West Bengal since the BJP took power in May, ending 15 years of Trinamool Congress (TMC) rule, raising questions about whether public anger is increasingly being used to justify punishment without due process.

Assaulted, stripped naked

In Sarsuna, an 18-year-old man allegedly went to meet a 13-year-old girl on Sunday evening, accompanied by his 19-year-old friend. After a relative of the girl apparently saw him kissing her, the girl’s father and maternal uncle took the two young men to their home, where they were allegedly assaulted.

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The 18-year-old was then forced to summon his father, who was also assaulted when he arrived. The family allegedly threatened the three men with a firearm and forced them to strip before making them walk naked for about 50 metres along the road, police said.

A case was registered on Monday (October 26) following a complaint by the 18-year-old’s father. The victims subsequently underwent medical examinations, police said.

Rise of vigilante justice in West Bengal

Several such incidents involving vigilante justice have been reported in the state since May. Last month, a 25-year-old widow and a man she had reportedly met through social media were allegedly tied to a roadside pole by local residents in Gonsai Bazar, under Chandrakona municipality. Their faces were smeared with lime (chun), and they were publicly humiliated after neighbours objected to their relationship.

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A more violent incident of mob justice occurred in July in Baruipur, South 24-Parganas district, where a mob allegedly lynched a man suspected of being involved in the death of a minor girl. Angry residents also blocked roads, set vehicles on fire, and clashed with police following allegations that the girl had been raped and murdered.

In another incident on Sunday (October 25), Tahirul Sheikh, a TMC regional president in Birbhum district’s Bhramorkol, was beaten, tied with a rope around his waist, and paraded through Amodpur market allegedly by local BJP workers.

TMC leaders, workers targeted

Incidents of public humiliation have become an increasingly visible feature with TMC leaders and workers also facing attacks involving eggs, stones, and other objects during public appearances.

Even senior TMC leaders have been targeted. On May 30, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was heckled and assaulted by a crowd that hurled eggs, stones, and shoes at him during a visit to Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas to meet the family of a party worker reportedly killed in post-poll violence.

In August, former chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s convoy was confronted by protesters in Halisahar, North 24-Parganas, who allegedly hurled stones, shoes, and water bottles at her vehicle and smeared it with mud as she travelled to meet the family of a TMC worker who died in police custody.

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In July, TMC MP Mahua Moitra accused BJP workers of pelting eggs and vegetables at a party meeting venue in Krishnanagar, Nadia district. In September, her convoy was targeted with eggs in Tehatta, according to her allegations.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh's car was also attacked with eggs and stones in Hooghly in September, leaving its rear windshield damaged.

The attacks have prompted judicial intervention. In July, the Calcutta High Court directed the state police chief to issue guidelines to prevent egg-throwing, mob violence, and lynching, stressing that even people accused of crimes are entitled to dignity and protection under the law.

Deteriorating law-and-order situation

These incidents come even as crime figures released for the BJP government's first few months have raised questions about the state's law-and-order situation.

On Sunday, a 17-year-old girl's body was found in Gaighata, North 24-Parganas district. Police suspect she was raped and murdered, and have arrested a youth who was allegedly harassing her. Investigators are examining the circumstances of her death.

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Data supplied by the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) in response to an RTI application showed that 2,454 rape cases, 600 murder cases, 13,114 cases of attempted murder, and 32,341 cases of assault causing grievous hurt were registered in West Bengal between May 1 and September 24.