TMC leader and his brother get 'life term' for killing a protester

The Lalbagh Second Fast Track Court in Murshidabad on Thursday sentenced local Trinamool Congress (TMC) Panchayat Samiti official Golam Sheikh and his brother Mithu Sheikh to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of a resident in 2024. In addition to the life term, the presiding judge slapped a financial penalty of ₹50,000 on Golam Sheikh, who serves as an executive director of the local Panchayat Samiti, and ₹25,000 on his brother Mithu. 

The roots of the tragic incident trace back to August 2024, when a local citizen named Babar Ali raised serious questions regarding the poor quality of ongoing road construction in the Ramna area under the Bhagwangola police station limits. Refusing to accept the substandard infrastructure being laid out by political contractors, Ali staged a vocal protest in his neighborhood. In a shocking retaliation aimed at silencing dissent, Babar Ali was shot dead in broad daylight on the afternoon of August 16, 2024, triggering widespread public outrage across Murshidabad.

Following a detailed investigation into the public execution, local law enforcement agencies arrested four individuals, including Golam Sheikh—who also held a portfolio as a TMC agricultural officer—and his brother Mithu. While the fast-track court found the two brothers guilty of planned murder and arms act violations, two other co-accused individuals were acquitted due to a lack of incriminating evidence, and one final suspect remains at large.