Jafrabad murders: 55 days on, charge sheet names 13, blames ‘mosque attack, firing by forces' rumours
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Kolkata: The April 12 violence in Murshidabad which led to the deaths of a septuagenarian and his 44-year-old son in Jafrabad was engineered by a mob after a rumour was spread deliberately that a nearby mosque had been attacked and that security personnel had resorted to firing, says the Bengal police SIT charge sheet filed on Friday.
The 983-page charge sheet, filed 55 days after the murders, names 13 persons and mentions that some of the perpetrators had a feud with the victims — Harogobindo Das and his son Chandan — over a piece of land. The 13 accused have been arrested from Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. All of them are in judicial custody. The Das family has already moved the Calcutta High Court seeking a CBI probe into the incident.
ADG (law & order) Jawed Shamim said: "We collected enough evidence against each accused, and we are confident of securing a conviction."
The SIT probe was led by DIG (Murshidabad) Syed Waquar Raza.
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he charge sheet says the father and son duo had reasoned with the rampaging mob twice and delayed the attack. The third time, however, the two were dragged out of their home and hacked to death infront of their families. Even after the murders, the perpetrators did not leave the locality and went on to vandalise and burn more houses in the area before fleeing.
The SIT has charged the 13 accused of murder, armed robbery, rioting, and has also slapped smaller charges of criminal trespass, housebreaking and criminal mischief. The accused have also been charged of illegal possession of firearms under Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Conviction for murder leads either to a life behind bars or death. Armed robbery can also lead to a life term, if convicted.
Police have cited 60 witnesses, and several statements were recorded before a magistrate under BNSS 183.
The evidence also includes CCTV footage and telephone intercepts.
Police sources said they would try to ensure an in-custody trial in the case. Bengal govt has appointed special prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee — who has successfully argued in four rape murder trials leading to death sentences last year — for a quick trial.
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