The policemen, who allowed the accused to flee, belong to a police station that had been labelled as model by none other than Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee a few years ago.

Police said victim Sheikh Shamim's father Sheikh Ashabul and accused Sheikh Rakibul were neighbours and distant relatives. They were also involved in a long-standing land dispute. To settle the matter, Rakibul called in the police on Sunday.

Around 7.30 am, Rakibul along with four policemen, including one sub-inspector and three constables, visited Ashabul’s house. Hearing about the visit, Ashabul fled and took shelter in a nearby house.

The policemen searched the house but could not find Ashabul. Enraged, a desperate Rakibul got hold of a wooden plank and started beating Shamim with it.

The Class I student of Choha Bilpara primary school pleaded for mercy, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Ashabul heard the screams in the meantime and rushed to rescue his son. With his folded hands, he reportedly asked the cops to rescue his son. But the men in uniform allegedly did not move.

Shamim died on the spot. His face was battered beyond recognition.

“I kept on pleading the policemen to intervene, but they remained silent. I even told them to shoot Rakibul on the leg to stop him. I tried to help him, but it was too late. They also let Rakibul escape. It was the villagers who caught him,” said Ashabul.

Following the incident, irate villagers, mainly women, attacked the police, damaged their jeep and gheraoed them for hours. Rakibul was caught by the angry mob and assaulted severely till he became unconscious.

The policemen, who came along with him, tried to rescue him and too faced the public wrath. The four policemen have been issued show-cause notices and a departmental inquiry ordered against them. Shamim's body was sent for post-mortem.