Murshidabad Riots victim accused police of breaking the door and forcibly breaking into its house

In a letter to the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kolkata, the wife of Parul Das of Hargobind Das and Pinki Das of Chandan Das seek protection and deploy appropriate central forces for their safety. |Photo source: Debasish Bhaduri

Family members of victims of the Murshidabad riots claimed on Sunday (May 4, 2025) that personnel from the Bidanagal City Police Department forced the door and entered the house in the Salt Lake District of Kolkata where they lived.

In a letter to the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kolkata, the wife of Parul Das of Hargobind Das and Pinki Das of Chandan Das seek protection and deploy appropriate central forces for their safety. The family filed a petition in Kolkata asking the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the murders before the Kolkata High Court.

Hargobind Das and Chandan Das (father and son) lynched on April 12 in a mob in Jafrabad, Murshidabad area. The family rejected compensation from the West Bengal government.

“There are at least 40 uniformed policemen and several in plain clothes. They start yelling, threatening and throwing abuse, even though we say we won't open the door because we opened it in anger, they break the door, damage the property, break into the house where we camped, and toured the places where we camped.”

Women survivors of the Mershidabad riots said they were “shocked and traumatized by the fanatical behavior of the officers involved, who “harassed and attempted to intimidate us to clearly abuse their authority”.

Police enter family member Suryaneel Das's lawyer enters the scene and begins asking questions about police “superbable” problems, a commotion occurs

Police officers of Bidhannagar City Police have cited a charge that the late Hargobindo Das's son, Samartho Das, allegedly kidnapped the kidnapping and in violation of the law were police officers who broke into the site.

The BJP leaders, including Sajal Ghosh, arrived at the scene and wanted to know the reasons for the police's actions. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari also highlighted the incident on social media, adding that family trust cannot be achieved through force or suppression, but through accountability and empathy.

“The reported actions of the Kolkata/Bidhannagar Police, allegedly breaking into a guest house where the grieving family was staying and attempting to forcibly remove them, are deeply disturbing and warrant strong condemnation. Such heavy-handed tactics, are affront to justice and compassion, especially for a family seeking legal recourse through the Calcutta High Court for a CBI enquiry into their loved ones' deaths,” Mr. Adhikari said.

The development comes a few days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Murshidabad area, the first since the public outbreak. Three people died and hundreds were homeless during the violence between Dhulian and Samserganj on April 11 and April 12. A total of 138 pilots have been approved, and the total number of arrests in the overall violence has exceeded 300.