The family of father-son duo Hargobindo Das and Chandan Das, who were killed in a mob attack during the recent violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, has turned down the compensation offered by the state government.
The clashes broke out last week during demonstrations against the recently-amended Waqf Act, with three individuals found dead in riot-like conditions across many minority-concentrated parts of Murshidabad. A mob went into their residence in Samserganj on the morning of April 12, took out their knives and hacked the two men to death before their own family members, according to a complaint submitted by the victims' family.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during a meeting with religious leaders on April 17, declared a compensation of ₹10 lakh per bereaved family. But the Das family declined the offer publicly. "No amount of compensation is sufficient for the two precious lives we lost. If the police had come on time, they could have survived," a family member commented.
They also expressed alarm at the persistent fear in the region in spite of the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces. The trauma was so acute that key members of the family's April 15 Shradh (post-death rituals) such as priests and barbers allegedly avoided participation due to fear for their safety.
While that, the National Commission for Women (NCW), which took suo motu cognisance of the situation, has sent a team to West Bengal. The team is to visit displaced families and local officials in Murshidabad on April 19 and 20 to take stock of the situation and provide assistance, especially to women who have been impacted by the violence.
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