A terrified scream on a busy road was enough to bring residents running.

However, for a class 7 student in West Bengal's Baruipur, the few frightening moments before help arrived have once again reignited questions over how safe public spaces are for young girls.

A seventh-standard student was allegedly harassed and molested by two minor boys while returning home from school in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, on Wednesday afternoon.

Police have detained both juveniles, who are set to be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

According to police, the girl was walking home with her younger brother when the two accused allegedly began following her.

They are said to have intercepted her on the road, demanded her name and mobile number, and behaved indecently.

The situation allegedly escalated when one of the minors grabbed the girl's hand, pulled her forcefully, and allegedly attempted to take her away.

The student raised an alarm, prompting residents to rush to the spot. One of the accused was caught by locals, while the second was traced and detained by police later the same evening.

The victim's family subsequently filed a complaint at Baruipur police station. Police said the girl's medical examination has been completed at a government hospital and both juveniles will be presented before the Juvenile Justice Board for their transfer to a juvenile home.

Expressing anguish over the incident, the girl's mother questioned the safety of young girls in public places.

'They were pushing and shoving her in the middle of the road. My daughter was terrified. She tried to get home quickly, but they blocked her, asked for her phone number and pulled her hand. If this can happen openly on a public road, where is the protection for young girls? We want the strictest action possible under the law,' she said.

The incident has once again turned the spotlight on Baruipur, which has witnessed multiple crimes involving minor girls in recent weeks.

On July 14, police arrested a man accused of luring a minor girl from Sealdah railway station to a rented house in Baruipur and attempting to rape her.

Days earlier, on July 5, the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Baruipur's Suryapur area triggered widespread outrage after her body was recovered from a pond.

The incident also led to the lynching of an innocent resident, while police later arrested four accused.

One of them was subsequently killed in a police encounter after allegedly attempting to escape custody using a snatched firearm.