The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested 10 people in connection with the killing of three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali district during the post-election clashes after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“We have arrested 10 people in connection with the killing of three people – Pradeep Mondal, Sukanta Mondal and Debdas Mondal – on June 8, 2019, at Nazat in North 24 Parganas during the post-election violence. They were produced before a Barasat court on Wednesday. The accused have been remanded in CBI custody for two days,” a CBI officer said.
Elections were held in April and May 2019, and the results were announced on May 23. The Bharatiya Janata Party made significant progress in the state, winning 18 of the 42 seats.
A mob of around 200 people attacked the homes of the three BJP workers around 4:30 pm on June 8 over a scuffle over the installation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) flags in the area.
Police said Pradeep and Sukanta were shot dead by TMC follower Shahjahan Sheikh and his accomplice Feroz Kamal Ghazi, while Debdas was assaulted and kidnapped.
Days later, Debdas’ skull and bone were recovered from the banks of the Dhansa River in Sandeshkhali. The remains have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Hyderabad.
Shahjahan was arrested on February 29, 2024, more than a month after Enforcement Directorate officers were attacked on January 5, 2024, when they went to search the residence of the TMC strongman in Nizhat in connection with the multi-crore ration scam. Three ED officers were injured when they were attacked by a large crowd of people on Shah Jahan’s orders. He is now in prison.
Among those arrested on Tuesday was Qadir Mulla, a close associate of Shah Jahan. “Though the local police conducted the initial investigation, the matter was handed over to the State Police’s Criminal Investigation Department in August 2019. It later referred the family to the Calcutta High Court alleging lapses in the investigation,” said Kali Charan Mondal, the petitioner’s lawyer.
Justice Jay Sengupta of the Calcutta High Court on June 30, 2025, ordered the CBI to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the three murders.
