Lalbaba Char (Bengal): In a horrifying incident that has sent shockwaves through a remote riverine settlement in West Bengal, a 45-year-old man allegedly killed his wife and elderly father with a household vegetable-cutting boti (a traditional curved blade), claiming to be performing a religious sacrifice. He subsequently attempted to attack his brother with the same weapon, but the latter managed to escape.The incident took place on Monday, October 19, the second day of Bengal’s largest annual religious festival, Durga Puja, at Lalbaba Char, a remote sandbar on the Damodar River. The settlement lies between the Dihipara area of Sonamukhi in Bankura district and the Kanksa block of Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal.Mangal’s brother Ramlaksham Choudhury. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.The accused, middle aged Mangal Choudhury, allegedly severed the head of his wife, Rampa Choudhury, 40, and placed it before a Kali shrine he had built in front of his house. He then called his 64-year-old father, Rajendra Choudhury, and allegedly killed him with blows from the same blade.He subsequently went to attack his brother, Ram Lakshman Choudhury, who managed to flee.Sonamukhi police arrested Mangal on Monday night. Inspector-in-Charge( I C) Tapas Dutta described the incident as horrific and said to The Wire that the two bodies had been sent to Bishnupur for post-mortem examinations. He added that the police would conduct a detailed investigation.The killings have left residents of the isolated settlement terrified. According to villagers, Mangal had been moving around the village as a practitioner of tantric rituals for years, but his activities had reportedly intensified over the past five to six months.“He used to say openly that true religion was finally going to be established. His behaviour had also become increasingly aggressive,” said local residents.Police cordon off the site of the alleged human sacrifice at Lalbaba Char in Sonamukhi, Bankura district, following the killings of a woman and an elderly man. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.“Every night, Mangal performed tantric rituals at the Kali shrine in front of his house. For several months, a number of practitioners of tantra from outside the village had also been visiting him. We were frightened by what he was doing. We had informed Sonamukhi police about his activities earlier. The police even visited the village once, but nothing came of it. His activities continued to escalate. We could never have imagined that he would sacrifice his own wife and father,” said Krishna Murali Choudhury, a resident of the village.He added that the villagers feared they could also become targets.“If someone can kill his own father and wife in the name of religion and place their severed bodies before an idol of Kali, what might he do to the rest of us if he is allowed to go free? We demand the strictest punishment for this heinous crime,” he said.A remote settlement cut off by the riverLalbaba Char, under the Dihipara gram panchayat in the northern part of Bankura district, has been inhabited for decades. Reaching the settlement from Sonamukhi requires crossing the Damodar River, making it an exceptionally difficult area to access.Only two boats operate throughout the day. When the water level falls, residents and visitors sometimes have to walk nearly five kms through the sandy riverbed to reach the village.The route to Lalbabar char village by boat across the Damodar river. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Many families living here migrated from Bihar several decades ago. Most depend on manual labour and cultivation on the riverine land. Mangal, too, worked as a cultivator and came from a financially disadvantaged background. He had received little formal education.His father, Rajendra, lived nearby with Mangal’s brother, Ram Lakshman.Mangal had two sons and a daughter, who was married. His elder son, Rambalak Choudhury, went missing in Bardhaman seven years ago while accompanying his father to consult a doctor. According to family members, the elder son had been suffering from a mental health condition. Mangal’s younger son, Manoj Choudhury, also reportedly has mental health problems.After his elder son went missing, Mangal began performing worship at the village cremation ground. A few years ago, he built a Kali shrine in front of his house using bamboo walls and began worshipping there. He subsequently took up tantric practices. His wife, Rampa, also joined him in these rituals, according to his sister, Pushpa Devi.Residents said that Mangal’s behaviour had become increasingly frightening in recent months.‘Who can stop me now?’Speaking on Tuesday morning, villagers Sheila Choudhury and Shobha Choudhury, who live near Mangal’s house, recalled how his conduct had alarmed them.“At night, Mangal would roam around the village naked. We were afraid of him. He would repeatedly say, ‘Who can stop me now? My spiritual practice will succeed this time.’ This had been going on for the past five to six months. We informed the police, but nothing happened. We lived in constant fear,” they said.According to the residents, after allegedly killing his wife and father on Monday night, Mangal shouted: “Mother Kali wanted blood, and I gave it to her.”Villagers said he then continued moving around the settlement with the bloodstained boti.Mangal’s sister Puspa debi, sister in-law Saraswati Choudhury, and Mangal’s son Manoj Choudhury outside of Mangal’s house on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Creating further panicResidents also said that the arrival of tantric practitioners from outside the village had increased over the preceding five to six months. They expressed concern about the development but said they did not know why the visits had become more frequent.Mangal’s brother, Ram Lakshman Choudhury, recounted how he narrowly escaped an attack.“I was inside my house on Monday night. At around 7.30 pm, Mangal came and knocked on the door. As soon as I opened it, I saw him shouting like a man out of control. He came towards me with the intention of attacking me. I somehow managed to run away. Later, I learnt that he had killed our father and my sister-in-law,” he said.Questions over police inactionThe incident has raised disturbing questions among residents about the apparent failure to act on earlier warnings.Villagers claim that they had repeatedly informed the police about Mangal’s activities and the fear he was generating in the settlement. They allege that despite a police visit, no effective intervention followed.Police cordon off the site of the alleged human sacrifice at Lalbaba Char in Sonamukhi, Bankura district, following the killings of a woman and an elderly man. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Why were their warnings not acted upon? Could the killings have been prevented if the authorities had taken the complaints seriously?These are among the questions residents are demanding answers to. The allegations regarding prior complaints and the police response require examination as part of the investigation.The incident has also reignited concerns about the use of religious belief and claims of spiritual authority to justify violence. Whether the killings were solely connected to the accused’s tantric practices, or whether a wider atmosphere of religious frenzy played a role, remains an open question.On Tuesday morning, former Sonamukhi MLA Ajit Ray and several other people visited the village. The fear among residents was evident from their expressions as visitors entered the settlement.Two civic volunteers have been deployed outside Mangal’s house. Police have cordoned off the locations where the alleged killings took place.Speaking on Tuesday, Jaydev Chandra, a state-level leader of the Paschim Banga Vigyan Mancha, said the organisation would visit the village within the next day or two. He stressed that the administration needed to take urgent steps against fraudulent and exploitative practices carried out in the name of religion.The killings have left Lalbaba Char enveloped in fear and uncertainty. In the 21st century, how can two people allegedly be killed in the name of religious sacrifice? And how far can such fanaticism go? The incident comes at a time when religious fervour seems to have a grip over Bengal and a Hindu nationalist party, with a proven track record of justifying violence in the name of religion, has come to power in the state.These are questions that now demand answers from the authorities, as the police investigation continues.