Murshidabad violence victims flee to Jharkhand including Gobind Das' family members

Families affected by the recent Murshidabad violence in West Bengal are fleeing to neighboring Jharkhand in large numbers, exposing a stark contrast to official claims of peace. This includes the family members of the violence victim Chandan and Har Gobind Das who were killed in the violence. Over 170 families from Jafarabad village in the Dhuliyan area are reported to have abandoned their homes. Many have now taken refuge in places like Rajmahal, Sahibganj, and Pakur.

The violence erupted after the introduction of the controversial Waqf Board law, leading to targeted attacks in several villages. While the West Bengal government has attempted to downplay the severity of the situation, the voices of the displaced tell a different story. Victims say they were forced to flee after masked assailants attacked homes with bombs and sharp weapons, leaving behind trails of destruction and death.

Hriday Das, one of the survivors, recounted how he disguised his 85-year-old mother as a patient to escape in an ambulance with 12 family members. They first reached Pakur and then moved to a relative’s house in Rajmahal. He alleges that the police arrived nearly four hours after the attack, by which time his brother and nephew had already been killed.

The West Bengal Urban Development Minister, Firhad Hakim, stated that “there is no migration” and claimed that people are moving “from Bengal to Bengal.” He insisted that Bengal is safe and compared the incident to past events in Gujarat and Delhi. However, victims on the ground refute these statements, calling the situation in their villages “unlivable” and “abandoned.”

Many victims describe how the violence began after Friday prayers and escalated into targeted killings. Local accounts suggest that over 50 to 60 masked men carried out the attacks. The village of Jafarabad is reportedly deserted, with many more families migrating to nearby districts in Jharkhand for safety.

Authorities in Jharkhand have set up temporary police pickets in the border areas of Sahibganj and Pakur to monitor the influx of migrants. Still, the fear among the survivors is palpable. Their lives have been uprooted, and their future remains uncertain, as they wait for justice and safety far from home.