Trinamul Rural Leader, Six Members Arrested in Connection with Alleged Killing of 13-Year-Old Tribal Child

In connection with the suspected killing of a 13-year-old tribal child from the Lodha Shabar community on Tuesday night over an alleged robbery at a village in West Midnapore's Sabang, a Trinamul rural leader and six party members have been detained between Wednesday and Friday.

According to a villager in Borochahara, Subha Nayek, an orphan, was charged with stealing a kitchen item from a neighbor's house worth Rs 500.

The adolescent was found guilty of theft and sentenced to be tonsured and beaten up by a shalishi court that was allegedly established on Tuesday night by local Trinamul leaders.

According to sources, he was tonsured, tied to a tree, and severely beaten after being taken to a salon at the Borochahara bus stop. Subha was later abandoned at his house, where he was discovered dead the following morning.

After the incident was made public on Wednesday, Subha's older brother Parameshwar, 29, filed a murder complaint at the Sabang police station against eight Trinamul leaders and members.

"A case of murder was filed against Trinamul panchayat member Manoranjan Mal and seven other accused based on Parameshwar Nayek's accusation. Seven suspects have been detained by the police thus far, including Manoranjan. Additional research and searches are ongoing, according to a police officer from the Sabang police station, who also noted that Manoranjan was apprehended on Wednesday.

Subha used to live alone in Borochahara hamlet. He is the son of a migrant worker from the Lodha Shabar group, one of the 75 vulnerable populations recognized by the Center.

His parents passed away a long time ago, and he used to live with his in-laws in Narayangarh with his older brother Parameshwar.

On Saturday, an inconsolable Parameshwar spoke about the killing of his brother and stated, "The locals told me that he was cruelly assaulted by Trinamul leader Manoranjan Mal and his assistants. After the terrible treatment, he was dumped at his house when he became asleep. He writhed in agony all through the night before passing away from wounds.

According to authorities, the kid might have passed away in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to a villager who described the sequence of events to The Telegraph, Subha was the prime suspect when the Tuesday item from the went missing since he had previously been accused of committing crimes of a similar nature.

Local Trinamul workers are said to have chosen to "teach the boy a lesson" after the shalishi sabha members ordered he be tonsured and beaten on Tuesday night.

Manoranjan allegedly led members of the ruling party in beating Subha. The villager claimed that despite his repeated cries for mercy, they ignored him.

Bengal is in uproar as a result of the terrible tragedy, with Trinamul's opponents casting doubt on the assertion that the tribals are protected by the government.

In a Facebook post on Friday, CPM state secretary Md Salim criticized the Trinamul for torturing tribal people.

Salim posted on his official Facebook page that a 13-year-old kid in Sabang had been lynched by a Trinamul panchayat member and his supporters. This episode reflects poorly on the state of Yogi (Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh). The youngster was accused of theft and subjected to savage beatings, tonsure, and being tied to a tree. To quell public ire, the police have detained Trinamul panchayat member Manoranjan Mal. "The Trinamul has been taking crores in the name of 100 days' work... but Trinamul leaders did not hesitate to kill a child on the charge of theft.

However, the accusations of torture were denied by Manoranjan, the leader of the Trinamul party. They asserted that the youngster killed himself by consuming pesticide.

However, the local Trinamul leadership appeared to be on the defensive given that the event includes the alleged lynching of a youngster from the marginalized Lodha Shabar group.

The president of Trinamul's West Midnapore district unit, Ashish Hudait, said in a statement to The Telegraph regarding the suspected involvement of Manoranjan in the alleged thrashing that resulted in Subha's death: "The law shall take its course. Regardless of their political affiliation, the offenders will be punished.