Dispute over room rent of ₹50 leads to murder in Kolkata slum

The tenants used to pay ₹50 on an average for the rooms, local residents told the police.

A quarrel over room rent between a landlord and his tenants at a slum on DC Dey Road in the Tangra area of central Kolkata led to a murder on Saturday night.

Ashok Das, his son Anil Das and five other members of his family were arrested for assaulting some of their tenants and stabbing Manoj Ram with a pair of scissors. (FILE PHOTO.)

Ashok Das, his son Anil Das and five other members of his family were arrested for assaulting some of their tenants and stabbing Manoj Ram with a pair of scissors. Ram succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.

The tenants used to pay ₹50 on an average for the rooms, local residents told the police.

“Ashok Das and his family rented out rooms to around one dozen families many years ago. There are allegations that he recently started misbehaving with members of these families and demanded that the rent be increased to ₹1500. This allegedly led to the quarrel. We have started an investigation,” an officer from Tangra police station said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to talk to the media.

Eyewitnesses told the police that Ram was stabbed when he tried to save another tenant, Sunil Das.