Jafrabad (WB): The iron gate is new. So are the CCTV cameras tied to electric poles outside the two-storey house at the edge of Jafrabad in West Bengal. But the fear is old.
A year after the arson during the protests over the Waqf law in Murshidabad, the house of Harogobindo Das and his son Chandan, who were killed by a mob, still looks like a bunker.
The walls have black marks. Broken bricks lie near the staircase. A central police camp stands a few feet away. Yet inside the house, nobody speaks of safety.
Their deaths have become a focal point of political discourse, transforming the village into a battlefield of narratives. As the assembly elections approach, the tragedy is invoked as both a warning and an accusation, with political parties clashing over safety and communal tensions.
While the BJP criticizes the ruling TMC for minority appeasement, the TMC accuses opponents of exploiting grief for political gain. Amidst this turmoil, the villagers of Jafrabad are left grappling with lingering fear and unresolved tensions as they prepare to vote.
