India, July 8 -- A fresh political confrontation has erupted in West Bengal after the alleged encounter killing of Prabhas Mondal, one of the prime accused in the Baruipur rape and murder case. While the ruling BJP defended the police action as "divine justice", the opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) condemned it as "jungle law" and questioned the circumstances surrounding the encounter.

According to the police, Mondal was killed during a crime scene reconstruction exercise after he allegedly snatched a firearm from a police officer and attempted to escape. Police claimed they opened fire in self-defence following retaliatory firing by the accused. The incident marked the first reported police encounter since the BJP government assumed ...