West Bengal: Civic police volunteer, injured in Kaliaganj violence, dies in hospital

Kaliaganj: A civic police volunteer, who was injured in violence over a 17-year-old girl's death in Kaliaganj in West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital on Thursday, police said.

Mijanur Rehman was critically injured as violence rocked Kaliaganj on Tuesday. He died while undergoing treatment at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri, they said.

Tension was palpable in Kaliaganj as police raided several locations overnight in search of those involved in the violence, they added.

Several people were detained but police refused to divulge the details, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

A demonstration over the girl's death had turned violent on Tuesday as a mob set the Kaliaganj police station on fire, and thrashed on-duty police personnel.

The BJP alleged that during the overnight raids a 33-year-old man was killed by the police, a charge the district officials rejected.

In a tweet, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that one Mrityunjay Barman was shot dead by the police. He also shared the photo and video of a body, which could not be independently verified by PTI.

However, a senior officer of the Raiganj Police District rejected the allegation.

The officer said that a large contingent of the police has been deployed in the area, where the situation is "peaceful" at present.

On Friday, the body of the girl was found floating in a canal. She went missing a day earlier after leaving home for her tuition classes.

After recovering the body, police allegedly dragged it on the road a few metres, triggering widespread criticism, and eventually leading to the suspension of four Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASIs).

The girl's family has been alleging that she was raped and murdered, and filed a police complaint against a 20-year-old man and his father who have been arrested.