Jiaganj (Murshidabad): A narrow, dirt road leads up to Bandhu Prakash Pal’s house in Jiaganj, a nondescript town in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. The small house is situated between a mosque and a Radha-Krishna temple. His neighbours claim they hear the azaan and the evening aarti every day, almost at the same time.
A lower-middle class locality, the place never had a history of communal tension or violence. There were four Durga Puja pandals in a 500-metre radius of Prakash’s residence this year. On 8 October, a day after Vijaya Dashami, Prakash, his eight-months pregnant wife Beauty and their seven-year-old son Bandhu Angan Pal, were found murdered inside the house.
Police reports say there were seven stab wounds on Beauty’s body, while Prakash and Angan were found with their throats slit. The case soon took on a political colour when the RSS claimed that Prakash, a teacher, was its supporter. A war of words ensued between the BJP and its affiliates and the Trinamool Congress.
But this has taken locals by surprise, many of whom fail to understand just how did the killings become political when the victims themselves weren’t “associated with any political outfit”.
The police, meanwhile, are struggling with the layers of what they have called a “multi-dimensional” case. The preliminary autopsy report appears to be inconclusive on the presence of drug traces in the bodies, and a viscera test has now been recommended.
Of the five suspects who were detained, two have been released. A CID team has now been called in for assistance.
Financial & domestic trouble
Neighbours of the Pal family, including his tenants Molly Das and Rana Biswas, did not hear even a tiny scream from the house on the day the murders took place. The bodies were discovered by their milkman, who had come around 11:45 am. When the doorbell went unanswered, he called on Prakash’s phone, and finding no response, he decided to peep through the window.
On seeing blood on the floor, the milkman raised an alarm. Neighbours found the front door locked and decided to check the rear entrance. Some of them also claim they saw a man running out of the main door.
The police have recovered two phones, a Samsung and a Xiaomi. A text message sent by Prakash to a person (name withheld) has revealed that the former was in deep financial stress. The message, police said, speaks of impending danger too.
Prakash’s bank documents, call lists and text messages have further shown that he had invested in several businesses, including on a multi-level marketing venture, trading of shares and insurance policies. He had more than half-a-dozen bank accounts in several nationalised banks in the district.
“Prakash was in a financial mess. We are trying to get his accounts details and getting some important leads in the case. We are close to cracking it,” said Mukesh Kumar, superintendent of police, Murshidabad.
Another senior officer said on the condition of anonymity: “Prakash used to acquire anti-radiation chips from a company and sell it to users for Rs 9,999. These chips are used in mobile phones to curb radiation. This looks like a new kind of business in Jiaganj. He had invested a lot of money into it. Not only had he borrowed money but also lent some to a few people.”
A handwritten note from Beauty to Prakash has also been recovered, which hints at tensions on the domestic front. “Why were there so many stab injuries on the wife and precise, clean cuts on the others? Was there a grudge against the wife? Or did she try to resist the killer? These are some very crucial questions which are yet to be answered,” the senior officer said.
Prakash had built a small house in Jiaganj two years ago to get his son admitted in an English medium school nearby, said his twin sister Bandhu Priya Pal. Priya lives near the house with her eight-month-old daughter and husband.
“We never sensed any bitterness brewing between the husband and wife. My brother was never associated with any political party. He was an introvert and used to keep things to himself. If there was any financial issue, why did the killers not spare even the child? We could have repaid the loan together. Why did they have to eliminate the family?” she asked.
‘Prakash wasn’t an active RSS member’
The RSS has been slowly building a base in the Jiaganj-Azimganj municipality. This area, according to the 2011 census, has a population of 51,790, of which 88.23 per cent are Hindus and 9.74 per cent Muslims. On the other hand, in Murshidabad alone, there are 33.21 per cent Hindus and 66.27 per cent Muslims.
Influenced by his colleague Rajen Soren, Prakash had visited a few RSS shakhas at Sagardighi and Beldanga, around 15-20 km from his house, said Swadesh Mukherjee, an RSS member in Jiaganj. “He, once with his family, visited our seven-day-long programme at Beldanga. But he was not a member,” Mukherjee said.
A six-member team, led by Atul Biswas, a praant sanghachalak of the RSS, had visited the area Friday. “We spoke to the locals and the neighbours. It is not clear why this kind of incident happened in such a congested locality. How did the culprit run away when so many people were around at that time?” Biswas told ThePrint.
“Prakash was not an active member, neither did he have any responsibility. He was just participating in some of our programmes.”
The local BJP leaders, under the banner of ‘Pratibad Mancha’, had marched to the Jiaganj police station Friday afternoon, shouted slogans and started a dharna demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.
However, police also said that political interference has “hampered and delayed” their probe. “There is no communal or political angle to it. Our suspects are also from the same community,” the official added.
Also read: Bengal police sees no political link yet murders of ‘RSS family’ assume communal overtones