A murder case filed over the killing of four members of a family in Rangpur has been handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) of Rangpur Metropolitan Police for investigation, amid questions from the victims’ relatives over the police account of the killings.
The family has demanded a wider probe, saying two people could not have carried out the brutal killing of all four members.
Metropolitan DB Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty confirmed the case was transferred from Kotwali police station and said it would be investigated seriously.
“We have received the case documents. The case will be investigated by considering it seriously,” he said.
The victims were recently retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Prarthi Chakraborty, 24, a master’s student, and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty, a Class V student at Rangpur Zilla School.
The four were found dead at their home in the city’s Masuapara area late Saturday night, about two days after the killings allegedly took place. Relatives became concerned after repeated calls to the family went unanswered. Fire Service personnel later broke open the locked door and found one body inside a room and three others near the rooftop.
Police subsequently arrested Siddhartha Das, 23, and Mugdha Das, 19, and said they had confessed to the killings.
According to the police, the two suspects were consuming yaba pills on the rooftop when Ganapati confronted them. They allegedly strangled him, his wife and daughter before killing Priyam inside the house. Police also said the suspects tried to make the killings look like a robbery.
The police account, however, has been met with skepticism from relatives, teachers, students and local residents, who have demanded a fresh investigation and questioned whether two suspects could have killed the entire family.
Gopinath Chakraborty, Ganapati’s elder brother and the complainant in the case, said a major force could be behind the killings and those operating behind the scenes must be identified and brought to justice.
“It is not possible in any way for two people to kill four members of a family,” he said.
Speaking at a Shraddha and prayer ceremony at the family’s residence on Tuesday afternoon, Gopinath expressed frustration and anger over the investigation.
“My brother Ganapati was a very good person. I do not think he could have had any enemies,” he said.
“I filed the case hoping to get justice. The police must properly investigate and identify the killers and their godfathers. Otherwise, we will have nothing to do but silently shed tears,” he added.
Ganapati’s niece Trishna Talukdar also called for a proper investigation, saying no innocent person should be punished.
“The killing of my uncle Ganapati, his wife, son and daughter was the work of a gang. Such a brutal killing could not have been carried out by two people,” she said.
“We cannot even slaughter a pigeon; our hands tremble. And two young boys killed four people. We have to believe this?” she said, breaking down in tears.
Rangpur Puja Celebration Council Vice-President and priest Dhiman Chakraborty said he believed a larger group could be involved.
“I have heard that the two people arrested by police have confessed. But it is necessary to find out who else was involved and why the killings took place,” he said.
Shraddha, prayers held
Relatives of Ganapati, members of the Hindu and Muslim communities, and journalists attended the Shraddha ceremony at the family’s residence.
Meanwhile, Rangpur Zilla School held a prayer and remembrance meeting Tuesday afternoon in memory of Ganapati and his son Priyam.
Headteacher Abul Kalam Azad, former teacher Shafiar Rahman, former and current students, and hundreds of teachers and students attended the meeting.
They expressed deep grief over the deaths and prayed for the peace of the victims’ souls.
Participants also demanded that the circumstances surrounding the killings be fully uncovered and all those responsible identified and brought to justice.