Howrah/Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked the police authorities to arrest the culprits at the earliest in connection with the killing of a youth for protesting against eve-teasing.
"It was an unfortunate incident, it should not have happened," the chief minister told the affected family members when she met them at their residence in Howrah district today.
The police, she said, should have taken immediate action.
Assuring the protestor Arup Bhandari's parents that the culprits would not be spared, the chief minister said, "wherever the culprits are in hiding now, they will be punished."
Condemning the incident as "unfortunate", Banerjee who was at their residence for about 15 minutes, said Bhandari was a civic volunteer.
Bhandari's mother said, "I want the guilty to be punished. My son died trying to save women from eve-teasing."
Governor KN Tripathi also condemned the incident and said the police should take strong steps to arrest the culprits.
Referring to media reports that the boy was beaten up by drunken youths after he was protesting against their lewd comments, the Governor said both the attack on the boy and such kind of behaviour against women were condemnable.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.
Arup Bhandari (20), a college student, succumbed to injuries on Monday after he was beaten up for protesting the lewd comments passed against two girls during Saraswati puja immersion.
Meanwhile, the Left Front, SUCI and Congress were observing a 12-hour bandh in Howrah district today demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.
Taxis and buses were few in number and some shops were closed due to the bandh.
Congress staged a blockade at Bagnan station and at Nimdighi NH-6, party sources said.
At least 12 Congress supporters were picked up by the police in connection with the blockade, party sources said.
