'So Many Police Posted?': Mamata Claims 'House Arrest' Amid Heavy Security Deployment Outside Her Residence Ahead Of Baruipur Visit

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress leader and former Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the significant police presence surrounding her Kolkata home. The deployment occurred just before her scheduled trip to Baruipur, the site where a 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in South 24 Parganas.

Banerjee explained that she intended to travel to Baruipur to visit the family of the 12-year-old girl.

She added, "What happened that so many police are posted here. I wanted to go to Baruipur and meet the family. They have placed so many police outside my residence. Why? Are they trying for house arrest", as per reports.

What TMC has to say

The Trinamool Congress has also raised alarm, asserting that their leader has been effectively placed under house arrest. By surrounding her home, they argue, the administration is deliberately obstructing her from fulfilling her moral duty to visit the grieving family of the 12-year-old girl whose life was cut short by a horrific act of rape and murder.

In a post on X, the party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led administration in West Bengal, after learning of Banerjee's proposed visit, deployed a large police force and erected barricades outside her residence to stop her from leaving for Baruipur.

"Our Chairperson, @MamataOfficial, wanted to visit Baruipur. Upon learning this, a massive deployment of police personnel and barricades was put in place outside her residence to prevent her from leaving," the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) said in the post.

"Despite these attempts to stop her, our demand remains unchanged: #JusticeForBaruipur. Didi stands firmly with the victim’s family and is committed to ensuring they receive justice," it added.

TMC tears over deployment

Furthermore, the Trinamool Congress has strongly condemned the stationing of central forces outside Mamata Banerjee’s residence.

TMC MP Dola Sen asked if the deployment was an attempt to house arrest the former CM. She termed the incident a “super emergency.”

Dola Sen told reporters, “What is going on in Bengal and Kolkata? Everyone knows what happened in Baruipur. Didi (Mamata Banerjee) is a mass leader. She wanted to go there after such a heinous incident had happened. But have they house arrested her? By doing this, will they be able to stop Didi? I had to come here because of this. So many police administration deployed here without any reason. This is not right, whatever the police administration is doing. This is a super emergency.”

TMC leader Madan Mitra said, “Didi is meeting party workers at her residence. What can the police really do? Someone has to raise slogans. You can't just keep committing one-sided atrocities while the public quietly accepts it; that's not how it works. Just as there are calls for justice regarding the RG Kar incident, there should be justice here in Baruipur too.”

Meanwhile, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee slammed the BJP government in the state after the tragic incident in Baruipur. He raised questions over the BJP, stating that the government was unable to fulfil its promise of women's safety in the state.

In an X post, Abhishek Banerjee wrote, "@BJP4India doesn't just fail women; it fosters a climate where those accused of heinous crimes appear to believe they enjoy political protection. Where political connections seem to influence justice.

“Where political connections seem to influence justice. Where influence appears to speak louder than the rule of law. Where disturbing questions arise over whether political pressure is overshadowing the pursuit of justice. That is the real tragedy behind the Baruipur horror!” 

What BJP has to say

Conversely, the BJP rejected these claims, labeling them as an effort to manufacture needless controversy. Debjit Sarkar, the state BJP’s chief spokesperson, pointed out that because Banerjee has Z-plus security status, the presence of police officers outside her home is standard procedure rather than something out of the ordinary.

Why security was deployed

The heightened security follows the discovery of a 12-year-old girl’s body in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district, on Sunday. The victim had gone out to purchase a birthday gift for a friend when she was tragically abducted, raped, and murdered. According to reports, the perpetrator stuffed the child’s body into a sack and discarded it in a pond after committing the heinous crime.

Four people are suspected to be involved in the crime.

The news of the girl's death triggered immediate and intense protests in the area. According to reports, local residents lynched a man suspected of involvement in the crime. The angry mob also reportedly attacked police officers who arrived at the scene in an attempt to restore order.

As per unconfirmed reports, locals had caught a man on suspicion of being involved in the crime and had handed him over to the police. However, he was later released.

SIT Constituted

Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the rape-murder case.

MP Saayoni Ghosh added that she has spoken to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who assured her that he is "personally monitoring the situation". 

“Arrests are being made, a SIT has been constituted, [CM] is in touch with the bereaved family and that the culprits will not be spared and justice will be done expeditiously. I thank him for taking prompt and necessary actions,” the MP wrote in a post on X.

Also Read: BENGAL HORROR: 12-Year-Old Girl Out To Buy Birthday Gift Raped, Killed; Mob Fury & Lynching Triggered As Body Found Floating In Pond