Angry residents of Basti Bazar ransacked a police vehicle and lay siege to Hashimara police outpost this morning demanding the arrest of a person they accused of raping a woman and killing a man who had tried to protect her. The crowd of more than 100 people also protested against the role of police and the local politicians who had reportedly tried to hush up the incident. Trouble began around 10am when the people of Madhya Satali, 35km from Alipurduar town, heard that a salishi was on at Basti Bazar where both the rape victim and the accused were present besides the police and Atul Subba, the Congress sabhapati of the Kalchini panchayat samiti. “They were offering cash and land to the wife of the deceased with the police as witness. We reached there just in time,” said Raju Bara, the president of the Hashimara-Jaigaon zone of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad. “The locals became violent and damaged a police vehicle and assaulted the person accused of the rape. The police took the injured man  to the air force hospital at Hashimara,” added Bara. The incident was the culmination of the alleged rape bid and murder that took place on May 26. “That day, I had entered a betel garden owned by Ranjit Mochary to collect firewood when he suddenly pounced on me. When I raised the alarm, a labourer came to my rescue. Both of them were engaged in a fight and Ranjit killed him,” the alleged victim said. Ramti said Sukha Oraon, her husband whom Ranjit had allegedly murdered, did not return home that night. “The next morning I was told that his body was found in the garden. Members of a local Shanti Committee brought it home and then cremated it. He had injury marks on his head, face and body. When I wanted to file a police complaint, the committee members threatened me,” Ramti said. She said last night she and the rape victim were confined inside a local club by the sabhapati and a panchayat samiti karmadhakshya Subin Champromary. She was offered Rs 50,000 in cash and four bighas of land to remain quiet. “They repeatedly told me to remain silent or face the consequences,” she said. The two women were let out this morning at the time of the salishi. Bara said if the accused, as well as the panchayat functionaries, were not arrested immediately for their role in the crimes and hushing them up, the Parishad would launch a massive movement. He said Ramti was escorted to the Hashimara police station by Parishad members where she lodged an FIR today. The sabhapati, however, has denied any role in the incident. “I came to know about the murder and the rape bid last evening and tried to find out what had actually happened. We never offered any cash to anyone. I had called the police so that Ranjit could be arrested, but Parishad members beat him up twice and his condition is critical. I know nothing about the cremation of the body,” Subba said. The additional superintendent of police of Alipurduar, S.R. Mishra, said Ranjit had been arrested on the basis of FIRs lodged by the alleged rape victim and Ramti. “We are verifying the murder charge against Ranjit. We are also starting cases against those who damaged police property and prevented the force from doing its duty. If Ranjit’s family lodges complaints about people assaulting him, we will take it up too,” Mishra said.