Police in West Bengal’s Nadia district have arrested Fatima Bibi, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat pradhan, along with two associates in connection with the double murder of a local Congress leader and his son. The victims were identified as 50-year-old Anisur Rahman, general secretary of the Nadia District Congress unit, and his 24-year-old son Abu Sufian, a practising lawyer at the Krishnanagar court who was preparing to head to London for higher legal studies.
The attack took place around 9:30 PM on Saturday when Rahman and his son were returning to their home in Nakashipara after visiting Bethuadahari. As their car reached the Nagadi railway crossing, barely 200 metres from their residence, a group of armed assailants ambushed the vehicle. The attackers first sprayed the car with bullets, shattering the glass, before attacking both victims with sharp weapons. Both father and son sustained severe gunshot and sharp-weapon injuries, dying on the spot before help could arrive.
Following a complaint lodged by the family, district police launched overnight raids and arrested Fatima Bibi, the pradhan of Haranagar gram panchayat, along with two associates, Sageb Sk and Mithu Sheikh. Early investigation suggests the killing was planned from behind bars by Fatima Bibi’s husband, Jabbar Sheikh, who is currently lodged in prison over prior criminal cases. Investigators suspect local henchmen were hired to execute the hit to establish territorial dominance and settle political rivalries. On Sunday, the Krishnanagar court remanded all three accused to nine days in police custody for custodial questioning and recovery of the weapons used in the crime.
The killings sparked sharp political reactions across Bengal, with the state Congress observing a "Black Day" and holding protest marches and road blockades in Nadia, Kolkata, and surrounding areas. Senior Congress leaders hit out at the local administration and police over intelligence lapses, alleging the assassination was carried out because several grassroots panchayat functionaries in Nadia had recently approached Rahman to join the Congress. District police officials confirmed that forensic teams have gathered evidence from the scene and search operations are underway to catch the remaining suspects involved in the attack.
