22 arrested in 24 hours over April 12 murder of father-son in Murshidabad

Several shops have reopened, and villagers who sought shelter in Malda camps have started returning home as life gradually comes to normal in the riot-hit zones

Kolkata/Berhampore: At least 22 people were arrested in the last 24 hours in connection with the April 12 murder of a 72-year-old man and his 40-year-old son at Jafrabad village in Murshidabad amid violent protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, police said on Wednesday.

The family members of Haragobindo Das and his son Chandan, who were hacked to death by a mob in Samserganj on Friday, however, said that more than compensation for the dead, they want security (ANI)

“We have made 22 fresh arrests in the last 24 hours, taking the total arrests to nearly 250 since Friday. Raids were still going on,” superintendent of Jangipur police district Ananda Roy said.

Several shops have reopened, and villagers who sought shelter in Malda camps have started returning to areas like Dhulian and Suti as life gradually returns to normal in the riot-hit zones.

Addressing a gathering of Imams and Muslim religious leaders from across Bengal, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the families of the three persons who were killed. “The families of those who lost their lives in the violence will get ₹10 lakh each. We don’t see the religious identity of victims but their pain. Those who lost their houses will get funds under the Banglar Bari scheme (a state-funded housing scheme for the poor). For those whose shops were damaged, the chief secretary will take estimates and get the work done for them,” she said.

The family members of Haragobindo Das and his son Chandan, who were hacked to death by a mob in Samserganj on Friday, however, said that more than compensation for the dead, they want security.

“What shall we do with the money? The kids in our house are still traumatised. One of them is repeatedly losing his consciousness. We want security. We have no faith on the state police. The situation here is such that we will survive only if central forces are deployed,” Subhas Das, a relative of the victims’ family, said.

“Such is the situation here that we couldn’t even perform the funeral ceremony properly. We have lost our family member. What are we going to do with the money? Can they return the two lives instead of giving compensation? We don’t feel safe. We want peace,” Biswajit Das, son-in-law of Haragobindo, said.

Meanwhile, union minister and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Sukanta Majumdar led a team of eight families who lost their livelihoods in last week’s riots to Bhabani Bhavan to meet the state’s director general of police.