8 suspects in Murshidabad riots arrested from Odisha: Bengal police

Kolkata: Eight suspects in the April 12 murder of a man and his son during the communal violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district were arrested from Jharsuguda in Odisha on Monday, a Bengal police official aware of the probe said.

Communal violence rocked the Jangipur sub-division of Murshidabad from April 8 to 12 when protests against the newly enforced Waqf (Amendment) Act led to rioting.

Monday’s arrests were made by the special task force (STF) of the West Bengal Police after it interrogated 16 Murshidabad residents working as migrant labourers in various parts of Jharsuguda district.

“These people came home during Eid and returned to Odisha. The arrested men include both sons of Jiaul Sheikh, one of the prime suspects who was arrested by STF on Saturday. The eight men are being brought back to Bengal,” the officer said requesting anonymity.

Jiaul Sheikh was arrested from Chopra in North Dinajpur district. He is a resident of Sulitala village located adjacent to Jafrabad where the murders took place. Kalu and Dildar Nadab, who are brothers and residents of the same area, were the first to be arrested. Inzamamul Haque, another prime suspect, was also arrested near Jafrabad.

The violence claimed three lives in Murshidabad. Haragobindo Das, 72, and his son Chandan Das, 40, were hacked to death by a mob at Jafrabad village in Samserganj. The third person, Ezaz Ahmed, 25, was killed in firing by security forces.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) sent inquiry teams to the affected areas during the weekend.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Bengal unit president Sukanta Majumdar visited Jafrabad on Monday and met members of the Das family.

“All the Hindu families are scared. They want the Border Security Force to set up camps here for their security. The state government has to make that request to the Centre. We can urge the Centre to give its permission,” Majumdar, a Union minister of state, told the media.

The state government told the Calcutta high court on April 17 that some communal violence took place in South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts as well during protests against the new law. However, Murshidabad, where Muslims comprise 66 % of the population, Bengal’s highest, remained in focus because of the deaths and scale of violence.

“The situation is peaceful now. Almost all the families that took shelter in other districts have returned,” Ananda Roy, superintendent of police, Jangipur division, said.