Police Kill Accused While Investigation Still Active

Prabhas Mondal, accused in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur, was killed in a police encounter on July 8 while a special investigation team continued searching for a fourth suspect. The encounter occurred roughly 100 metres from where the victim's body was found. Encounter killings by Indian police routinely face scrutiny over due process; this one undercuts the ongoing investigation's credibility and raises questions about whether critical evidence or testimony was lost.