Bengal: Teenager Sudipta Pandit killed by Sheikh Farhad for picking fallen mangoes from his orchard, angry villagers burn down mango warehouse of the accused
In another brutal murder in West Bengal, a Hindu teenager was lynched by one Sheikh Farhad Mandal for picking some mangos from Farhad’s orchard. Angry locals later set the mango warehouse of Farhad on fire, while the accused have been arrested by police. The incident took place in Shibdaspur, Naihati, in North 24 Parganas district.
As per reports, 17-year-old Sudipta Pandit was a resident of Basanti Tala in Kanchrapara, and he had gone to his uncle’s house in Shibdaspur, Naihati to attend a family function. He along with some of his friends were returning home on Thursday night. While passing by a mango orchard, they saw some mangoes lying on the ground.
Unable to resist the urge to pick some mangoes, Sudipta went to pick some of the fruits from the ground. However, unfortunately for him, the orchard’s owner Sheikh Farhad Mandal was present at the spot, and he saw Sudipta picking the mangoes. He caught the minor boy and started to beat him brutally. Seeing this, Sudipta’s friends got scared and they fled.
When they informed the villagers and returned to the spot, Sudipta was found lying unconscious near the mango orchard. He was immediately taken to a hospital in Naihati, but it was too late, as doctors said that he had already died. It is alleged that after beating Sudipta, Farhad strangled him to death.
The incident led to tension in the area since Thursday evening. On Friday morning, the enraged villagers gathered at Farhad’s mango warehouse, and set it on fire. They also blocked the Kalyani Expressway and started a protest.
On receiving the information, the police from Shibdaspur police station reached the spot, and arrested Farhad. A large police force has been deployed in the area to ensure that there is no further unrest.
In the meanwhile, Barrackpore BJP leader Priyangu Pandey has alleged that the boy was killed because was a Hindu. He said, ‘A 17-year-old innocent boy went to eat mangoes. His was killed because his cousin is a booth-level worker of the BJP. Sudipta Pandit’s crime was that he was a Hindu.’ Pandey added that police can’t protect Hindus in West Bengal, and Hindus in the state must unite to survive.
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