Rampurhat killing: Autopsy reveals victims were thrashed, then burnt alive

A post-mortem conducted after charred bodies of at least eight people were recovered from Rampurhat in West Bengal’s Birbhum district has shown that they were badly beaten up before being burnt alive, news agency PTI reported.

This was the preliminary finding of the forensic experts who conducted tests on the charred bodies of 8 persons which were found inside houses that were set on fire by miscreants in the Bogtai village on the outskirts of Rampurhat in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.

The preliminary investigation conducted by forensics revealed that the victims were brutally beaten up before they were burnt alive. The bodies of the victims were found inside the houses that were set on fire by unidentified people, said a report in PTI quoting an official from Rampurhat hospital.

Also read: ‘Hope WB govt takes action against culprits’: PM Modi on Rampurhat killing

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the matter and 20 people have been arrested in the case so far. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had also sought a report from the state administration over the incident of violence.

This also led to a fresh war of words between WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and CM Mamata Banerjee, with the former observing that the state is in the grip of “violence culture and lawlessness”.

CCTVs have been set up around the helipad where the chief minister's helicopter will land, a senior police officer said.

Also read: Rampurhat killing: West Bengal Guv Dhankhar deplores CM Mamata Banerjee in 3-page letter

Banerjee is scheduled to hold meetings with senior police officers including Director General of Police Manoj Malaviya before visiting Bogtui. Later, she may also visit Rampurhat hospital to meet the injured people, another official said.

The house where eight people died in Rampurhat’s Bagtui village was allegedly attacked after Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh was killed in a crude bomb explosion on Monday evening.

Also read: 8 people burnt alive hours after TMC leader's murder in Bengal