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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\nMalda: A 16-year-old girl, missing since Saturday night, was found dead on Sunday morning in North Dinajpur, triggering a road blockade, ransacking of shops and arson that destroyed at least eight vehicles, including five belonging to the government.
The Madhyamik passout\u2019s body was found in a bush behind her house by residents of Boslampur village within Chopra police station limits. They also found two mobile phones and a bicycle at the spot.
The girl was taken to Islampore Subdivisional Hospital, where she was declared \u201cbrought dead\u201d. It is suspected that the minor has been raped and poisoned to death.
The owner of a mobile phone and bicycle was identified, agitating the villagers. The minor boy who is the mobile\u2019s owner is missing.
Describing the incident as a rape and murder, BJP demanded the culprit\u2019s immediate arrest. Party supporters blocked National Highway-31 by burning tyres. Apart from Chopra, roads were blocked in other parts of the district.
A Chopra police team that tried to lift the road blockade were pelted with stones; even bombs were hurled and two police vans torched. Some nearby shops were ransacked and three buses set ablaze. A huge force led by additional police superintendent Kartik Mandal, along with combat force, used tear gas and resorted to lathicharge to control the mob.
District BJP president Biswajit Lahiri said: \u201cThe girl is the sister of our booth president. She was raped and killed by TMC-backed goons. This heinous crime is another example of how a particular community has been tortured by TMC-sponsored goons in north Bengal.\u201d He warned of a \u201cgreater agitation unless the culprit is arrested within 24 hours\u201d.
Trinamool reacted sharply to BJP\u2019s allegation. Local MLA Hamidur Rahman said: \u201cThe death is certainly unfortunate but we have come to know that the girl had an affair with the boy, who were classmates. It is unbelievable the boy, after allegedly killing the girl, left his bicycle and mobile there. Still, police have begun probe. Let them do their job.\u201d
BJP, he added, was doing \u201cfilthy politics\u201d over the issue and encouraging violence.
Rahman also refuted BJP\u2019s claim that the girl\u2019s family were BJP supporters. \u201cThe victim\u2019s uncle is our active block leader and the family are TMC supporters,\u201d he said.
In Siliguri, minister in charge of tourism Goutam Deb said: \u201cTomorrow, a delegation comprising MP Mousam Noor, MoS Golam Rabbani and I will meet the victim\u2019s family. There is no point doing politics on this issue.\u201d
Islampore police superintendent Sachin Makkar said: \u201cAfter the discovery of a girl\u2019s body, some people turned violent. We have controlled the situation; police force is there.\u201d He added no arrests had been made so far because no complaint had yet been lodged.
Sources, however, claimed that the missing boy\u2019s father had been picked up by police for interrogation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n