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Kolkata: In the early hours of July 8, Prabhas Mondal, one of the key accused in the rape and murder case of an 11-year-old in Bengal’s Surjyapur, was killed in police firing during what officers described as a crime-scene reconstruction exercise.

According to the official narrative, Mondal had been taken to the crime scene at around 12:45 am when he allegedly snatched a firearm, fired one round at the police and tried to flee. The police, the officer said, fired in retaliation. Mondal was taken to Baruipur hospital, where he was declared dead.  

A member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) confirmed to The Wire that the police fired two rounds. The first struck Mondal in the chest, and the second hit his leg. The sequence questions the self-defence narrative. If the objective was to neutralise a fleeing or struggling suspect, a disabling shot to the leg would theoretically come first. 

The reported injury pattern, one shot to the chest and another to the leg, requires a clear forensic explanation. The post-mortem report, ballistic analysis, firing distance, weapon recovery, cartridge evidence, and statements of all officers’ present should be made part of an independent inquiry before the self-defence claim is accepted at face value.

The premise of conducting a crime scene reconstruction at close to 1 am, in pitch darkness, also has not been adequately explained by the police. It is standard modern practice for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras. Field reconstructions in sensitive cases are legally required to be video-recorded. Yet, the police have yet to produce a single second of footage showing the accused attempting to escape. At this stage, there is no DNA matching report, no detailed forensic report, and not even a basic chargesheet filed.

So was Prabhas Mondal and what role did he play?

Mondal was not merely a suspect but the linchpin of the entire investigation. Identified through CCTV footage walking with the victim shortly before her disappearance, he became the primary accused and........

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