Death during anti-drug raid sparks protest in Old Malda; SP denies assault allegations

Malda: Tension gripped Old Malda after a 37-year-old man allegedly fell ill and died during a police raid on suspected drug peddlers, triggering protests and a road blockade on Sunday evening.

The deceased, Sekendar Ali (37), a resident of Chalisha Para under Ward No. 6 of Old Malda Municipality, was present near the railway tracks when police from Malda Police Station conducted an anti-narcotics operation. Family members alleged that he died due to police assault, though no written complaint has been lodged so far. According to family sources, Ali was addicted to drugs.

Following the incident, residents, along with the deceased’s family, blocked the state highway at Chalisha Para, burning tyres and staging a demonstration demanding justice and a fair probe.

Denying the allegations, Superintendent of Police Avijit Banerjee said: “No written complaint alleging assault has been received by me so far. During the raid, the individual fell down. He was immediately rescued and taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.”

He added: “The post-mortem examination will be conducted with videography to ensure transparency.”

Chairman of Old Malda Municipality, Bibhuti Bhushan Ghosh, has demanded a neutral investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, police arrested two youths, Mobarak Hossain and Muhammad Samaul Hoque, from Kalikapur under Kaliachak police station and recovered 453 grams of contraband MDMA (molly) in crystallized form procured from Ranchi, Jharkhand, during a separate operation on Monday. SP Banerjee described it as only the second such seizure in the district since August 2025, indicating growing concerns over the circulation of such costly synthetic drugs

in the district.