Punish those responsible for minor's murder: Locals

Kolkata: The people of Bandwan in Purulia demanded exemplary punishment of those involved in the murder of a teenage girl whose decomposed body was recovered from the forest recently. A march was held on Saturday afternoon to condemn the killing of 17-year-old Manika Mahato, a student of Dr Amarnath Jha Higher Secondary School. She was studying in Class XII and had scored over 95% marks in Madhyamik Examination. The residents demanded that the CID should probe the incident and also sought the resignation of the Officer-in-Charge of Bandwan police station within seven days. Manika went missing on May 3. Her family members faced many hardships before they could lodge a complaint. Her decomposed body was recovered on May 10. The police are yet to recover her school bag and purse. Locals alleged that initially, the police had refused to take complaint and finally accepted it after prolonged persuasion. They also alleged that Manika might have been tortured before being murdered. They further alleged that a section of the media has been trying to hide the criminals and the owner of the vehicle that had been used.