Kolkata, 08 July (H.S.) : Champa Mondal, the wife of Prabhas Mondal, who died in a police encounter in Baruipur, has spoken publicly for the first time following his death, alleging that he had been abusive throughout their marriage and saying she could not claim he was innocent.

Reacting after police informed the family of her husband's death on Wednesday morning, Champa said, He did wrong. He committed a crime and was shot. There is nothing more to say.

She alleged that she had endured years of abuse after marrying Prabhas and continued living with him despite the hardships because she had a young son and nowhere else to go.

I cannot say that he did not do it. After our marriage, I saw his violent and abusive behaviour. I have suffered a lot while living with him. I believe he could have committed such an act, Champa said.

According to her, Prabhas was unemployed and mostly stayed at home. She said that when his name surfaced in the case, she was not surprised, claiming that his behaviour at home had convinced her that he was capable of such actions.

Earlier in the day, Prabhas's mother, Sandhya Mondal, had also distanced herself from her son, saying he had faced the consequences of his actions. She said the family would neither claim his body nor attend his last rites.

According to police, Prabhas Mondal was taken to a crime scene in Baruipur shortly after midnight on Tuesday for reconstruction of a case. Police alleged that during the exercise he snatched a firearm from a police personnel, pointed it at officers and attempted to flee, prompting police to open fire. He was taken to Baruipur Sub-Divisional Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Police are continuing their investigation into the case, while the circumstances surrounding the encounter are also under scrutiny.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh