West Bengal, 21 October (H.S.): The body of a girl, approximately ten years old, was found hanging in a cupboard in the Vidyasagar Colony area under Alipore police station in Kolkata on Monday night. According to reports, the body was found hanging in a cupboard. The police recovered the body and sent it to SSKM Hospital for postmortem.

Although it was initially believed to be a case of suicide, local residents claimed it was murder. They accused the girl's father and stepmother of murder and beat them in front of the police. Locals said that the deceased girl was the niece of Sanjay Rai, a civic volunteer convicted in the rape and murder case of a student at R.G. Kar Medical College.

As per information, the girl's father had remarried after her mother's death. Neighbors alleged that both the stepmother and father abused the girl. The stepmother had gone to the market on Monday night. When she returned, she did not find the girl. When she opened the cupboard, she found the girl's body hanging inside.

Local residents said that the stepmother frequently beat the girl, often slamming her head against the wall. A neighbour said she told the girl's father about this, but he said he allowed his wife to discipline her daughter.

The girl's grandmother also alleged that her granddaughter had been murdered, but she blamed her daughter-in-law, not her son.

On Tuesday, when the police called the girl's father and stepmother for questioning, locals surrounded them and began beating them. The mob alleged that they had killed the girl for selfish reasons.

The stepmother, weeping, repeatedly said, I didn't kill my daughter... I didn't kill her. The father, however, said, My daughter is gone, I don't want to live anymore. However, people claimed they were making up stories to gain sympathy.

Now, residents of the area have launched a signature campaign to evict the family from the neighborhood. They said this family is bringing disrepute to the entire area. Local resident Madhumanti Ghosh said, We don't want this family here. There's constant fighting in the house, the woman is being harassed, and the area is being discredited.

The police have registered a case and begun an investigation. Efforts are underway to determine whether it was a suicide or a murder.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey