Hooghly, West Bengal: For nearly a week after 71-year-old Sk Shahaalam was beaten to death outside his home, the silence hanging over Kelepara village was as telling as the grief inside his family’s modest house. His 95-year-old mother sat devastated. His wife struggled to speak through tears. Three young grandchildren moved quietly around the home that had suddenly lost its principal breadwinner.
According to a fact-finding report prepared by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Shahaalam’s killing was not an isolated act of violence but allegedly the culmination of weeks of intimidation, fear and post-election tensions that had gripped the village.
An APCR team that visited Kelepara under Pursurah Police Station in Hooghly district on June 23 said the family, neighbours and several local residents described an atmosphere where many people were reluctant to speak openly, fearing retaliation.
The report states that the murder has left the family economically shattered while creating a deep sense of insecurity across the village.
A Family Says Threats Began Long Before the Murder
According to the victim’s family, tension escalated in the village following the Assembly election.
Family members alleged that certain individuals demanded ₹50,000 from them. When the family refused, they allegedly began receiving repeated threats and intimidation.
The APCR team noted that the family consistently maintained they had been living under constant fear before the fatal attack.
Residents who spoke to the fact-finding team also referred to earlier incidents of violence in the village, which, they said, had already created an atmosphere of insecurity.
‘Come Outside’: The Final Moments
According to the family’s account recorded by the fact-finding team, the attack took place on June 15 at around 1.30 pm.
Shahaalam, a labourer employed at a Muslim hotel, had been resting inside his house when several men allegedly arrived and called him outside.
What happened next, according to family members and witnesses interviewed by APCR, unfolded within moments.
The report alleges that he was assaulted by a group of people armed with bamboo sticks, wooden objects, bricks and stones.
The elderly man reportedly suffered severe injuries before collapsing unconscious.
His family alleges that when women members rushed forward to rescue him, they too were threatened and prevented from intervening.
Shahaalam was later taken towards Arambagh Prafulla Chandra Sen Government Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The Family Left Behind
Beyond the allegations surrounding the murder lies the story of a family pushed into sudden uncertainty.
Shahaalam, approximately 71 years old, was the principal earning member of the household.
His family includes:
- his 95-year-old mother, Mahela Bibi;
- his wife, Marjina Bibi;
- elder son Sk. Saiful Islam, around 36 years old;
- younger son Rafikul Islam, around 32 years old;
- daughters-in-law Serena Begum and Reshma Khatun; and
- three minor grandchildren.
The family’s financial condition, according to the report, was already fragile.
The elder son is reportedly bedridden after suffering serious injuries in a road accident and is unable to work.
The younger son earns only a modest income as a daily labourer.
With Shahaalam’s death, the household has lost its primary source of livelihood.
The APCR report says the family now faces severe financial hardship alongside emotional trauma.
Earlier Assaults Deepened the Climate of Fear
During its inquiry, the fact-finding team documented two earlier incidents that villagers claimed involved the same group of accused persons.
On June 3, Altaf Mullick, a 41-year-old government school teacher, was allegedly assaulted using bamboo sticks and wooden objects. According to the report, he sustained grievous injuries, including a fracture to his right leg.
On the same day, another resident, Sk. Abdul Rahim, aged 56, allegedly suffered a similar assault and also sustained a fractured right leg.
Residents told the team that these incidents had already left many villagers frightened well before Shahaalam’s death.
The report observes that these earlier attacks require careful and independent examination.
Police Investigation Underway
According to information provided by Pursurah Police Station, an FIR (No. 175/2026) has been registered in connection with the murder.
The investigation is being conducted by Sub-Inspector Subhendu Mondal.
Police informed the fact-finding team that six accused persons had been arrested and police custody obtained.
Efforts, officials said, are continuing to arrest the remaining accused.
Police also described the case as being linked to post poll political violence.
Meanwhile, Shahaalam’s body was sent for post-mortem examination at Arambagh Prafulla Chandra Sen Government Medical College and Hospital.
At the time of APCR’s visit, the final post-mortem report had not yet been made available.
Fear Still Lingers in Kelepara
One of the strongest observations made by the APCR team concerns the atmosphere prevailing in the village after the murder.
According to the report, several residents appeared unwilling to speak freely because they feared possible retaliation.
The team concluded that the killing had not only devastated one family but had also disrupted normal life within the village.
The report describes widespread anxiety among women, elderly residents and children.
It also records severe emotional trauma among the victim’s family members and growing insecurity across the locality.
Key Findings of the Fact-Finding Team
After interviewing family members, witnesses, villagers and police officials, inspecting the scene and reviewing available documents, the APCR team reached several conclusions.
The report describes the killing as a grave incident involving allegations of collective violence.
It states that allegations of repeated threats before the murder remained consistent across family testimonies.
The inquiry also found that the victim’s family has lost its principal means of livelihood and now requires immediate rehabilitation support.
The team further emphasised the need for continued monitoring of the law-and-order situation in the village.
Demands
The APCR fact-finding team has urged authorities to:
- Immediately arrest all remaining accused persons;
- Conduct a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation;
- File the charge sheet without unnecessary delay;
- Provide protection to witnesses;
- Ensure security for the victim’s family;
- Grant compensation under applicable victim compensation schemes;
- Extend rehabilitation support to the bereaved family;
- Provide educational assistance to the three minor grandchildren;
- Ensure regular supervision of the investigation by senior police officers; and
- Closely monitor the law-and-order situation in Kelepara village.
A Death That Continues to Echo
For the APCR team, Sk. Shahaalam’s death is not merely another criminal case.
Its report concludes that the alleged history of intimidation preceding the murder, the reported pattern of earlier violence and the vulnerable condition of the victim’s family together warrant a fair, impartial and expeditious investigation.
The report argues that justice in this case will require more than arrests. It calls for witness protection, accountability, rehabilitation of the bereaved family and sustained efforts to restore confidence among villagers who, according to the inquiry, continue to live under the shadow of fear.
