Murshidabad: Court awards life term to 13 in father-son lynching

Kolkata: A Jangipur court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to all 13 persons convicted on Monday for the murder of a father-son duo at Jafrabad in Murshidabad’s Jangipur subdivision.

Additional Director General of Police (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar said the case was tried under the newly introduced mob-lynching provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with other applicable sections. “This is the second conviction in the country under the mob-lynching charge,” Sarkar said.

The killings took place on April 12 amid widespread violence in parts of Murshidabad, including Samserganj, Dhulian and Jangipur, during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The victims—Harogobinda Das and his son Chandan Das—were dragged out of their home at Jafrabad and hacked to death in broad daylight.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Murshidabad Range) Syed Waquar Raza, was formed to probe the case. Sarkar said the first information report named five accused, but subsequent investigation revealed the involvement of eight more persons.

“All 13 accused were arrested within days from different locations in Howrah, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Jangipur in West Bengal, as well as from Odisha and Jharkhand. The investigation was completed and the chargesheet filed within 56 days,” he said.

According to the ADG, investigators relied on multiple forms of forensic and technical evidence. “Tower location details of the accused were plotted using Google Maps. Gait pattern analysis was conducted by matching CCTV footage with the movement style of the accused. Weapons with bloodstains were seized, and DNA profiling matched the blood samples with those of Harogobinda and Chandan,” Sarkar said.

He thanked Special Public Prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee and acknowledged the support of the state police Special Task Force, Kolkata Police Detective Department and CID cyber forensics wing. Sarkar also congratulated DIG Raza, Jangipur Police District Superintendent Amit Kumar Shaw and their teams for ensuring a time-bound investigation and conviction. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said his party was dissatisfied with the verdict and would extend legal assistance, reiterating the demand for capital punishment for the 13 convicts in the Samserganj father-son murder case.