Cops raze post, new one to have glass walls

‘‘The post has to be transparent so there is some fear of the public in the minds of the police,’’ said R.N. Somani, president of the 150-strong association.

Friday’s protest began at 7 pm and continued till 3 am. BJP MLA Raj Purohit, a Marine Drive resident for more than 20 years, stayed with the protesters till 2.30 am. ‘‘It was a shameful incident and the public protest was genuine,’’ he said. ‘‘Towards morning, the crowd got rowdier — there were people who seemed to have come from all over the city.’’

Purohit said the crowd insisted that he stayed, so he did. ‘‘It was not an official BJP protest,’’ he clarified.

Meanwhile, at the victim’s residence, the family was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. ‘‘The girl had scored less marks in the exams and used to spend most of her time at her friend’s place,’’ said an acquaintance. ‘‘Her parents did not know about her friendship with any boy.’’

More will be in police custody till May 3.