By The Quint
In the early hours of 3 October 2026, two men were killed and three others injured after a group of villagers attacked them near Tarabari village in the Matigara-Bagdogra area of Darjeeling district, West Bengal. The incident occurred around 2:30 am when the five men, travelling in a pickup van and a car, were suspected by locals of attempting to steal cattle. The violence resulted in the deaths of Shahid Akhtar and Sajjad Mohammad, while the injured were taken to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Police responded to the scene and brought the situation under control.
According to Siasat, the deceased were identified as Shahid Akhtar, a resident of Sonapur in North Dinajpur’s Chopra, and Sajjad Mohammad, a resident of Haryana. The three injured individuals—Amir Sattar, Akram Khan, and Arif Khan—were also from Haryana and were shifted to hospital for medical care. The attack began when villagers became suspicious of the group’s activities and escalated as the men were chased and assaulted.
As reported by Hindustan Times, police stated that one victim died at the scene, while the other succumbed to injuries en route to the hospital. The group was intercepted after reaching Tarabari village, where locals alleged they were stealing cows. The mob set the pickup van on fire and damaged the car during the assault. The violence continued as the group was chased from Tarabari to the Dhimal area, where further attacks occurred.
Police teams from Matigara, Bagdogra, and Panighata stations responded quickly following reports to contain the situation and prevent further escalation. Authorities registered a case and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. The investigation is ongoing, with raids being conducted to identify and apprehend those involved in the attack.
“The villagers caught the miscreants and attacked them. The pickup van was set on fire and the car was damaged,” a local resident stated, as cited in official accounts.
Details provided by coverage revealed that four of the five men targeted were residents of Haryana, while one was from West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district. The incident reportedly stemmed from previous cases of cattle theft in the area, which heightened local suspicion and contributed to the mob’s actions.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.
