Mounting inconsistencies between official statements, medical findings, and physical evidence have sparked widespread skepticism in Rangpur over the police investigation into the horrific quadruple murder of retired schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty and three members of his family. Community leaders, educators, local citizens, and women’s rights campaigners have openly rejected the law enforcement narrative, describing the official account as a staged drama that defies basic common sense.
Public outrage boiled over into the streets on Monday as demonstrators staged protest rallies, formed human chains, and set up road blockades across the city. The unrest follows a press conference held on Sunday by Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud, who announced that two local youths, Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das, had been arrested as the primary suspects. According to the police, the pair allegedly strangled all four family members after being confronted for consuming yaba—a potent methamphetamine derivative—on the roof of the Chakraborty residence on Thursday night.
What followed in the official police account was a sequence of events that local residents find extraordinarily difficult to accept. Police claimed that after carrying out the killings, the suspects remained in the house until Friday afternoon. During this prolonged stay, they allegedly took showers, helped themselves to cucumbers and dates from the refrigerator, and washed their mobile phones in detergent-infused water to destroy potential evidence.
Teachers and students from Rangpur Zilla School, where Ganapati Chakraborty served as a respected educator for decades, joined forces with local cultural activists to denounce the official claims. Former teacher Shafiar Rahman highlighted the sheer improbability of two drug-dependent individuals committing four consecutive murders and then casually lounging at the crime scene for hours. Cultural activist and former student Dollar asserted that the community refuses to swallow a story attributing the slaughter of an esteemed teacher and his fifth-grade child to a minor rooftop dispute over drug use. He warned that the entire city would be brought to a complete standstill unless law enforcement uncovered the true motives and culprits within three days.
Women’s rights organizations have been equally scathing in their assessment. Rumana Zaman, President of the Rangpur District Mahila Parishad, remarked that while law enforcement had drafted a dramatic script, the public was simply not buying it. She questioned how two young men could subdue and murder four adults and children in rapid succession without triggering an alarm or attempting an immediate escape.
The credibility of the police account suffered another blow when medical experts contradicted key details released by law enforcement. During his Sunday briefing, Commissioner Mabud claimed that victim Agami Chakraborty suffered a broken jaw and displaced eyeballs during the struggle. However, Dr Bablu Kishor Biswas, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine at Rangpur Medical College Hospital, refuted these statements on Monday. Dr Biswas confirmed that the autopsy revealed no signs of a fractured jaw or dislodged eyes, noting that while preliminary findings suggest asphyxiation, the exact cause of death cannot be confirmed until the full forensic report is finalized.
Discrepancies also emerged regarding the condition of the bodies. Initial hypotheses from the police and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) suggested that acid or chemical agents had been poured over the victims’ faces. Dr Biswas clarified that no evidence of chemical burns was detected. Instead, he explained that the severe facial discoloration and grotesque appearance resulted naturally from blood and tissue decomposition caused by the length of time the bodies lay undiscovered.
Fearing that the real perpetrators are being shielded, the Rangpur City Citizens’ Committee has demanded a judicial inquiry into the killings. Member Secretary Palash Kanti Nag expressed grave concern that the investigation is being intentionally diverted away from the true masterminds.
Amid the intensifying public outcry, authority over the case has been officially transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Rangpur Metropolitan Police. DB Inspector Zinnat Ali has been appointed as the new lead investigating officer. Deputy Commissioner of DB Sanatan Chakraborty confirmed the handover, stating that while the judicial confessions of the two arrested youths initially mirrored the police commissioner’s briefing, the suspects have provided new details that demand rigorous verification. As the Detective Branch takes over, the people of Rangpur are watching closely, determined to see genuine justice served for the fallen family.
