In Brief
- The two fatal police shootings occurred less than 24 hours apart in the North 24 Parganas and Murshidabad districts.
- Prahlad Das (23), arrested for the abduction, rape, and murder of a 13-year-old girl, was shot dead late Monday night in Gaighata, North 24 Parganas.
- Samaul Sheikh (around 40 years old), accused in the brutal dismemberment murder of BJP worker Sujit Mondal, was killed during a CID-led reconstruction in Samsherganj, Murshidabad, on Tuesday evening.
- According to law enforcement statements, both suspects managed to seize police service revolvers and opened fire while being led through crime scene re-enactments, prompting fatal retaliatory fire.
Twin Shootings During Crime Scene Reconstructions
West Bengal police reported two separate high-profile encounter killings within a 24-hour window between October 26 and October 27, 2026.
The first incident took place late Monday night in the Gaighata area of North 24 Parganas. Prahlad Das, who had been arrested for the sexual assault and murder of a local Class 11 student whose body was found on Sunday, was taken out for a pre-dawn crime scene re-enactment. Police stated that Das snatched a sub-inspector's service revolver while returning and fired multiple rounds, injuring personnel before being killed in retaliatory crossfire.
The second incident occurred on Tuesday evening, October 27, 2026, in Samsherganj, Murshidabad district. Samaul Sheikh—implicated in the August 28 murder of BJP worker Sujit Mondal—was in State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) custody. Investigators stated that Sheikh similarly snatched an officer's weapon during a site visit and opened fire, leading officers to shoot back in self-defense. He was declared brought dead at a nearby hospital.
Political Reactions and Public Response
The back-to-back encounters drew sharp political reactions across the state, dividing opinions on law enforcement tactics:
- Support from Victims' Families: Relatives of the deceased victims expressed satisfaction with the swift outcomes, with the father of the slain teenage girl stating that justice had been served.
- Political Divisions: Senior BJP leaders defended the police actions as necessary to strike fear into hardened criminals, while opposition figures and opposition parliamentarians raised concerns over procedural protocols, demanding transparent inquiries into the sequence of events.
