Mother with a 7 day old baby forced to leave her home, shares her ordeal | Watch

The violence in West Bengal’s Dhuliyan has reached such a disturbing intensity that desperate residents are now fleeing their homes to save their lives. Among them, a mother with a seven-day-old infant crossed the Ganga river under the cover of night to escape what she describes as “selective torture” in Bedbana area of Shamserganj.

Multiple families from Bedbana and nearby areas fled following incidents of house arson, looting, and alleged poisoning of drinking water. In what many are calling a humanitarian crisis, residents accuse a local Trinamool councillor of fuelling the unrest. With law and order breaking down, even newborns are not spared from the consequences of the escalating violence.

The fleeing woman described her ordeal, saying she was being selectively targeted and beaten. "For three days, I’ve been on the run. My house was ransacked. I couldn’t even stay one more night. I crossed the Ganga in the dark, clutching my seven-day-old baby, just to survive," she said with tears in her eyes.

Several families managed to escape to Vaishnavnagar in Malda district by boat. Locals there, along with the district administration, have given them shelter inside a school building. The displaced, aged between eight and eighty, now spend their days in cramped classrooms, haunted by the trauma they fled and unsure of when—or if—they can return home.

While these families seek refuge, they are also voicing deep frustration at the authorities. Many claim that police presence in Shamserganj is either minimal or unresponsive. “No one helped us. Everything at home is lost. We don’t know what remains of it,” said another victim. They demand accountability, safety, and a chance to live without fear.

The situation remains tense, and the fear of further escalation looms. What began as local unrest has now grown into a humanitarian emergency, displacing families, destroying homes, and shaking faith in law enforcement mechanisms.