Three men died in West Bengal police encounters over three months, including two on successive nights in October. Police said suspects grabbed firearms during crime-scene reconstructions, forcing officers to shoot back. Rights activists questioned these accounts, asking why detainees were taken out at night with their hands apparently left unrestrained.
Rights activists question police accounts after two suspects are killed during crime-scene reconstructions on successive nights, raising concerns over the use of lethal force
Three men have been killed in police encounters in West Bengal over the past three months, including two on successive nights in October, prompting rights activists and opposition leaders to question the police account of the shootings and raise concerns over the use of lethal force.
The latest deaths occurred in Gaighata in North 24 Parganas district and Dhulian in Murshidabad on 26 and 27 October. In both cases, police said the suspects were taken to crime scenes for reconstruction, allegedly seized officers' firearms and opened fire before being killed in retaliatory shooting. A similar incident took place in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas in July.
No reports of police personnel being injured in the three incidents were cited in the account of the shootings, prompting questions about the circumstances in which the suspects allegedly obtained firearms.
In Gaighata, 23-year-old Prahlad Das, accused of raping and murdering a teenage girl, was taken to the crime scene for reconstruction. Police sources alleged that he seized a service revolver and fired at officers, who shot him in retaliation. A senior police officer said the circumstances of the shooting, including how Das obtained the revolver, would be examined.
Das's death follows the July killing of Prabhas Mondal in Baruipur. Mondal, accused in a rape and murder case involving a minor, was also killed during a crime-scene reconstruction, according to the police account.
In Dhulian, Murshidabad, Samaun Sheikh, arrested in connection with the murder of BJP leader Sujit Mondal, was killed during a reconstruction exercise in the Puratan Dakbangla area of Samsherganj. Police alleged that Sheikh seized an officer's firearm and fired three rounds before officers returned fire.
Sujit Mondal's dismembered body was recovered after he went missing on 28 August. Three people, including Sheikh, had been arrested in connection with the murder.
Questions over police accounts
The deaths have raised questions about the practice of taking suspects in serious criminal cases to crime scenes for reconstruction, particularly at night, and about the security arrangements during such exercises.
The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) questioned the circumstances of the Gaighata shooting. Its vice-president, Ranjit Sur, asked why a detainee had been taken out at midnight for reconstruction with his hands apparently unrestrained. He described the circumstances as "highly suspicious" and questioned how the accused could have seized a police revolver.
Retired police officer Salil Bhattacharya said the authorities needed to address such questions rather than dismiss them.
.West Bengal: Yesterday's foes become today's friends as Sanghis run amok. If an armed suspect genuinely attacks officers, the police may have to defend themselves. But that does not remove the need for an independent investigation into the use of lethal force, the security arrangements during reconstruction and the evidence supporting the police account," he said.
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data do not classify deaths in police encounters separately, while records maintained by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) do. The NHRC recorded 21 encounter deaths in West Bengal between 2016 and 2022, compared with 117 in Uttar Pradesh and 199 in Chhattisgarh.
Political reactions
BJP minister Dilip Ghosh defended the police action, saying it was necessary to restore public confidence in law enforcement.
Referring to the Gaighata encounter, he said: "No one is above the law. But if someone chooses to defy the law, this is what will happen to them."
Ghosh said people had lost faith in the police and that officers sometimes had to perform "unpleasant tasks" to restore that trust. He added: "People don't get scared easily -- largely because, for many years, there has been no effective rule of law in Bengal." He called for exemplary punishments.
CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty questioned how suspects in police custody could have seized firearms from officers. He also asked why people accused of rape and murder were able to move freely during reconstruction exercises.
AITC leader Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay said publicity generated by encounters could not replace due process. "While 'encounters' might generate publicity, the country is governed by the rule of law," he said.
The West Bengal State Crime Records Bureau, in response to a Right to Information request, recorded 2,454 rape cases registered in the state between 1 May and 24 September 2026. The BJP government led by Suvendu Adhikari was installed on 9 May 2026, according to the information provided.
The recent killings have renewed scrutiny of the police's account of encounters and the need for independent examination of deaths in custody or during police operations before suspects' guilt has been established in court.