The Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal is witnessing a new wave of lawlessness, with mob violence and lynchings being weaponised to settle petty issues.
The State has earned a bad name over the years for the ‘Khela’ (game) of violence orchestrated by Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons against rival political parties. The situation has now been exacerbated with common people taking the law into their own hands.
OpIndia has found more than 10 cases where people were assaulted, injured and killed over suspicion of child lifting, mobile theft, minor bike accidents and even extramarital affairs.
Man lynched for not ‘returning money’
On Monday (1st July), a 25-year-old man named Biswajit Manna was lynched by a frenzied mob in the Hooghly district of West Bengal.
The victim was a resident of Tarakeswar, which fell under the jurisdiction of Naita Malpaharpur gram panchayat. He had taken a loan of ₹50000 from some people but failed to return the money.
Manna was called by the accused at night to their friend’s place and beaten till he became unconscious. He was later rescued by his mother and his sister-in-law and taken to a nearby hospital.
The 25-year-old succumbed to his injuries. The police arrested two people in connection to the case.
Neighbours kill man in Kolkata
On 29th June, a man named Prasenjit Mondal was lynched by his neighbours in the Salt Lake area in North Kolkata over suspicion of mobile theft.
The accused were identified as Tapan Sarkar, his son Harshit Sarkar and Sridam Mondal. The trio wanted Mondal to confess that he had stolen their missing smartphone.
When the victim denied any involvement in the case, the trio kept on beating him in the hopes of soliciting a confession. The nature of the assault was so brutal that Mondal succumbed to his injuries. The police have now arrested the three men.
Taliban-style assault of woman in Chopra
On 28th June, a Bahubali leader named Tajmul Haque, with ties to the ruling TMC dispensation, was seen publicly flogging a woman in Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal.
The reason for executing the Taliban-style punishment was said to be an ‘extramarital affair.’ According to media reports, Tajmul Haque notoriously runs Taliban-style ‘quick justice’ through his ‘Insaf Sabha’ and is a close associate of Chopra MLA Hamidur Rahaman.
TMC MLA Hamidul Rehman justified the Taliban-style attack by claiming that the victim was ‘spoiling the society’ and had ‘loose character.’ He said that public flogging was part of the rules of ‘Muslim Rashtra.’ He also acknowledged that Haque is associated with the ruling TMC.
In a video shared by ANI, a top cop was heard expressing fear of retribution from supporters of the local goon. While speaking about the matter, SP (Islampur police district) Jobi Thomas remarked, “If we kept him in Chopra, the thana could have been attacked. So for safety purposes, we brought him (Tajmul Haque) to Islampur.”
TV mechanic lynched in Kolkata
On 28th June, a TV mechanic named Mohammed Irshad was beaten to death by a mob after accusing him of stealing a mobile phone. The incident took place in Udayan Hostel in the Bowbazar area in Central Kolkata.
The victim was reportedly roaming around in the area when a group of students caught hold of him. They accused him of being a mobile thief and thrashed him brutally.
Irshad’s employer Irfan informed E-Newsroom, “A frantic Irshad had contacted me and pleaded to bring ₹10,000 to the hostel. He told me that if I failed to do so, the boys would kill him.” By the time, the police reached the spot, Irshad was almost dead.
“It took us 30 minutes to locate the hostel, which was locked from inside. It took another 30 minutes for the police to enter the hostel. Irshad was almost 80 per cent dead when we managed to rescue him. We rushed him to Medical College, where he was declared dead within a few hours,” he added.
The police have arrested 14 students, aged between 21 and 28 years, in connection to the case.
Mob lynches man in Pandua
A 25-year-old man was lynched by a mob in Pandua town in Hooghly district of West Bengal. As per reports, the victim was identified as Ashish Baul Das.
A resident of Pandua, Das had gone to a fair on his bike on 27th June 2024. While returning home, his vehicle grazed a few men which led to a heated argument. The men were in the middle of a brawl over the use of loudspeakers.
The minor bike accident infuriated the mob, who then thrashed the victim black and blue. Ashish Baul Das was initially admitted to a hospital in Pandua, followed by Chinsurah.
When his condition deteriorated, he was taken to Kolkata but he died on the way. On 30th June, the police arrested 2 people in connection to the case and booked them for murder.
Muslim woman stripped by Shafiqul-led mob in Cooch Behar
On 27th June, a Muslim woman was stripped, dragged for 1 km by her hair and thrashed for over an hour by goons for supporting the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).
The incident took place in Ruidanga village in Matha Bhanga-II block in Coochbehar district of West Bengal. As per reports, a group of TMC goons attacked the woman for being a worker of the Opposition BJP in the State. The victim’s father had filed a complaint with the police.
According to the police complaint, the local TMC cadre had prevented the woman from stepping out of her house since the Lok Sabha elections were announced on 4th June 2024.
The victim was assaulted when she was en route home from a nearby park. A group of TMC goons attacked her, stripped her and then dumped her clothes in a river.
They had also threatened to break her house if she dared to step out again. The Cooch Behar police had detained 4 people, including the primary accused Shafiqul, in connection to the case.
Shafiqul was accused of capturing the naked picture of the victim during the assault and disseminating it on social media platforms.
Locals attack youth in Gopalnagar
On the morning of June 24th, a youth was attacked by a mob on suspicion of child-lifting in Gopalnagar village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
As per reports, the local residents accused the victim of wandering suspiciously and failing to provide his name and identity. According to Sangbad Pratidin, a viral video of the incident showed locals slapping the victim continuously.
The police, however, have denied that the youth was assaulted in any form and claimed that he was mentally unstable.
As per the victim, a group of men dropped him in the Gopalnagar on the night of 23rd June and he had been roaming in the village before being beaten by the locals.
Mob violence in Gaighata
The residents of the Berigopalpur area in Gaighata village thrashed a youth in full public glare after accusing him of being a child kidnapper. The incident took place on 23rd June 2024.
The victim, who is said to be mentally unstable, was seen roaming in the area for several days before the incident. The locals alleged that he entered the house of a man named Alok Debnath and began calling for the latter’s daughter.
They also claimed that the daughter of Alok Debnath fainted after seeing the youth. The locals alleged that he tried to flee the scene. A video of the young man being assaulted by locals has surfaced on social media.
After thrashing the youth, the mob tied him to a house in the neighbourhood. On learning about the matter, the police reached the spot and rescued the victim.
Reportedly, none have been arrested by the police in connection to the case.
Homeless man critically injured in Bangaon
On 22nd June this year, a homeless man was severely injured after a mob attacked him on suspicion of child-lifting. The disturbing incident of mob violence took place in the Thakurpalli area in Bangaon town in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
The victim was reportedly wandering in the area when some locals caught hold of him and began inquiring about his name and identity. Soon after, he was labelled a child lifter and thrashed by the locals.
On learning about the matter, the police reached the spot and rescued the victim. The man was admitted to the Bangaon Sub-Divisional Hospital in a critical condition.
The cops have so far arrested 2 people in connection to the case.
While speaking about the matter to The Statesman, a local club secretary Niramlendu Biswas informed, “Residents noticed an unknown person wandering in the area at night. Suspecting him to be a child abductor, they beat him up. We went there, rescued him, and informed the police.”
Woman attacked by mob in Ashoknagar
On the evening of June 21st, a woman was thrashed by a mob on the suspicion of being a child lifter. The incident took place in Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
As per reports, the victim was identified as 28-year-old Rajni Khatun. She is a resident of Diamond Harbour town and travels to places on her bicycle. On the fateful day, Khatun was caught by residents in Ashoknagar on suspicion of being a child lifter.
They beat her mercilessly without any provocation. On learning about the matter, the police reached the spot and rescued the victim from the frenzied mob.
During the rescue operation, a police sub-inspector named Manik Mukherjee was injured. Later, a large contingent of police was deployed to the area to bring the law and order situation under control.
The police have arrested 15 people in connection to the case, including three women, and initiated a probe into the matter. It also came to light that the victim was mentally disturbed.
Man assaulted during Eid Mela in Barrackpore
A 32-year-old man, identified as Nazir Hossain, was beaten by a mob on the suspicion of being a child lifter. The incident occurred during the Eid Mela, held on 16th June this year.
Hossain is a resident of Patiulia Panchauat area in Barrackpore. On the occasion of Eid-al-Adha, he attended a Mela (fair) in Mohanpur Panchayat area.
While he was roaming around, a group of people accused him of being a child lifter. “Tui alakar baccha churi korte aschehis (You have come to abduct the children in the area),” they claimed.
Soon after, a mob unleashed its fury on Nazir Hossain and assaulted him mercilessly. The victim was initially admitted to the Dr B N Bose Sub Divisional Hospital.
However, when his condition worsened, Hossain was rushed to the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
On learning about the matter, the family members and relatives of the victim protested before the Mohanpur police station and demanded strict punishment against the culprits.
