Kolkata: A day after the lone accused in the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl in Gaighata was killed in a police “encounter” on Tuesday, his mother questioned the circumstances of his death and demanded compensation.“The girl was killed. My son was killed, too. We want compensation,” Prahlad Das’s mother Rekha Das said, marking a turnaround from her stance on Tuesday, when she had said she was happy with the turn of events as a citizen, though pained as a mother. “My son committed a crime and paid the price. I hope no one dares to commit such an act again,” she had said.On Wednesday, she cast doubts on the police version of the events that led to her son being shot dead while he was being escorted back to Gaighata police station, North 24 Parganas, from the crime scene. “How could he have snatched a police officer’s revolver and opened fire when his hands were tied with a rope,” she said.According to police, Prahlad was taken to the crime scene and other spots late on Monday to reconstruct the events leading to the rape and murder. While being taken back to the police station, he asked the cops accompanying him to halt at a place called Baidyabati so he could relieve himself.He then allegedly snatched an SI’s gun and fired three rounds before trying to flee. The cops fired back, fatally injuring Prahlad.Questioning the police account, Rekha said, “My son’s hands were tied when five officers brought him home around 2am on Tuesday (as part of the crime-reconstruction process). How could he have snatched a cop’s pistol and opened fire?”“I know my son committed a grave crime and he can’t be forgiven,” Prahlad’s father Ramprasad said, before questioning the police action, “Instead of killing him so brutally, the officers could have ensured that he was sentenced to life imprisonment. I cannot accept this death.”The Das family maintained that Prahlad should have been tried in court and punished in accordance with the law, if convicted.Ramprasad broke down while placing a garland on his son’s body after it was handed over to the family at Barasat Medical College and Hospital, where a post-mortem was conducted, on Tuesday night.A senior officer in Bongaon District Police said, “A magistrate was present during the post-mortem, which was videographed.”The victim, a Class 11 student, went missing on Saturday after she received a call and left a musical programme in her neighbourhood around 11.30pm on Saturday. The next day, her naked and battered body was found behind the house of Prahlad, a distant relative, at Gaighata’s Shimulpur. Prahlad was arrested on charges of rape and murder.
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