West Bengal: 2 dead in mob lynching over cattle-theft suspicion

Two men are dead and three others injured after a mob allegedly attacked a group of people in the Matigara-Bagdogra area of West Bengal on suspicion of cattle theft, turning allegations that had yet to be established into a deadly act of street justice.

The violence unfolded in the early hours of Saturday near the Balason River in Tarabari. Police said the victims were travelling in a pickup van and a car when local residents became suspicious of their presence. The area has reportedly seen complaints and allegations of cattle theft in recent weeks.

According to police, the group was chased and some of its members were caught by local residents. The vehicles were vandalised and at least one was set on fire. Two men subsequently died.

The dead have been identified by police as Shahid Akhtar, a resident of Chopra in North Dinajpur, and Sajjad Mohammad, a resident of Haryana. Three others — identified as Amir Sattar, Akram Khan and Arif Khan — were injured and taken to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

Additional Commissioner of Police Anirban Majumdar said police were investigating the circumstances and had begun raids to identify those responsible for the killings. “The two deceased were identified as Shahid Akhtar, a resident of Sonapur in Chopra, and Sajjad Mohammad, a resident of Haryana,” Majumdar said.

A local resident, Biresh Roy, described how suspicion rapidly turned into violence. “They were chased from Tarabari in Matigara to Dhimal. The villagers caught the five and attacked them. The pickup van was set on fire and the car was damaged,” Roy said.

The accounts emerging from the area contain some differences over exactly what happened and whether the men were actually attempting to steal or transport cattle. Police have not established the allegation against the victims, and the investigation is continuing.

Retired police officer Probodh Mukherjee, who retired as a DCP, said, “That distinction is crucial. Suspicion is not proof, and allegations of theft cannot become a substitute for investigation, arrest and trial. Yet in Tarabari, a group of residents allegedly assumed the role of police, prosecutor and executioner.”

Local residents have said cattle thefts had become a source of anger in the area. That grievance, however genuine, does not provide legal authority to assault people or destroy vehicles. “A crime cannot be answered by another crime,” Mukherjee said.

Reports from the scene said the violence spread from Tarabari towards the Dhimal area, where some of the men were allegedly caught after attempting to escape. Police from Matigara and Bagdogra stations eventually intervened and brought the situation under control. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examinations.

The scale of the violence has also raised questions about how quickly a local suspicion was allowed to escalate into lethal mob action. A vehicle was burned, another was damaged, and people were allegedly subjected to sustained assaults before police could rescue them.

By Saturday afternoon, police had begun making arrests. One report said four people had been arrested in connection with the violence, while investigators continued efforts to identify others involved. CCTV footage from surrounding areas is also being examined.

The incident has already acquired a political dimension. CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh said the killing was precisely the kind of violence he had warned about. “What we have anticipated and told people over the years has started in West Bengal after BJP came to power,” Ghosh said, calling it a serious and sensitive matter and demanding a thorough investigation.

His remarks were challenged in political terms by BJP chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar, who also condemned the violence and appealed against vigilantism. “I urge people not to take the law into their own hands. Justice will be served through proper investigation. Incidents like mob lynching must stop,” Sarkar said.

Democratic TMC MLA Prasun Banerjee likewise described the incident as a matter of serious concern. “This is an extremely sensitive matter and a cause for concern. The incident should be thoroughly investigated,” Banerjee said.

The competing political responses matter, but the immediate issue is more basic: two people are dead, three others are seriously injured, and the central allegation that triggered the attack remains a matter for investigators to establish.

The incident also carries a wider warning for West Bengal. When rumours, anger and suspicion are allowed to override due process, the boundary between a community's grievance and mob violence can disappear within minutes.