KOLKATA: Since Tuesday night, the Bagmari Road neighbourhood in north Kolkata has had a celebrity arrival in the form of Debraj Naskar. The 12-day-old baby who was stolen and rescued within eight hours returned home with his mother after a week at Medical College and Hospital, and the neighbours can't get enough of him. A few huts down the street, however, it's a whole different story as the partly vandalized house of the Bejs stands empty."Since Tuesday, neighbours and even strangers are constantly visiting our home to catch a glimpse of the baby. From the local councillor, to local NGO members and people from neighbouring areas, everyone wants to see my baby. At times, it is upsetting him, but what can we do?" smiled Debraj's mother Saraswati Naskar.However, no one wants to talk about Priyanka Bej, a student of Class IV , who had to flee home with her relati ves after locals vandalized her home. Her parents Prasanta and Chinmayee Bej were arrested for stealing Debraj. It has been a week since the incident, but they have not been able to return home."She cannot go to school.All her books, school uniform and other things are in that house. I know my brother and sister-in-law are ac cused of committing a heinous crime, but what is the fault of the little girl? She wants to go home, but I am afraid locals may not let us enter," said Prabir Bej, Prasanta's brother, whose motorbike is still half-submerged in the local pond where the neighbours pushed it.He said that since the vandalism, Priyanka and her grandmother have been staying at a relative's house at Doltala in North 24-Parganas.Prabir's fear was, however, not unjustified. "That family should not be allowed to stay in this neighbourhood.What if they kidnap my kid?" said a woman in the area. Another said: "The girl should also be banished from here. What if she lures my daughter away? It may be their family profession to kidnap kids."Priyanka's friends, on the other hand, say they are missing her and want her back home. "I used to play with her. She is a very nice girl and is my best friend. I want her to come back home," said an eight-year-old girl who lives next door to the Bejs, before her mother came out of the house and rebuked her for speaking about Priyanka and her family ."Don't even utter her name," the woman said while taking the child away.Local councillor Amal Chakraborty said he will hold a meeting with residents of the area to ensure Priyanka and her relatives can come back home."We are no one to judge who is guilty . Police and the judiciary are doing their job. So, the little girl and her relatives should be allowed to come home. It is my responsibility as a local councillor to ensure they can come home safely," Chakraborty told TOI.

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