By the time the dust settled after the Ram Navami fervour on March 26, Fultala in Raghunathganj police station area in Murshidabad’s Jangipur bore the marks of a targeted rampage. Muslim-owned shops lay vandalised, looted and torched; shopkeepers had been assaulted in the open. What began as one of many Ram Navami rallies across the state spiralled into a cycle of provocation and retaliation that the town could not contain — and what followed was far from incidental.
In the days that followed, police made 30 arrests. Sixteen were reportedly organisers or participants in the rally, while 14 were picked up for allegedly pelting stones at the procession.
Alt News went on the ground to piece together what really happened that day.
The Geography
Two separate Ram Navami rallies moved through Jangipur on March 26, following planned but intersecting routes. One procession was scheduled to pass through Sistola, then Aileropor, before joining a larger procession in Mackenzieganj. The larger rally, in turn, was to set out from Mackenzieganj, pass through Fultala and adjoining neighbourhoods, and return.
What unfolded instead was a chain of violence across three locations — Sistala, Ailer Upor and finally Fultala. The rally originating in Sistala was meant to move through Ailer Upor en route to Mackenzieganj. But after violence broke out in Sistala, participants dispersed, cutting across a field through Chamarpara and Kalitola before entering Ailer Upor, where tensions escalated further. In Ailer Upor, both local residents from Ghosh Para and members of the Sisatala crowd were present. The procession moving through Ailer Upor was eventually halted at the entrance to Fultala More.
Meanwhile, the larger rally had already set out from Mackenzieganj and reached Fultala. It was here that the most intense violence of the day unfolded.
The Chain of Events
Sujapur-Sisatala Jama Masjid
The first flashpoint came at 4:16 pm, when a Ram Navami rally passed the Sujapur Sisatala Jumma Masjid. CCTV footage accessed by Alt News from two cameras shows the procession entering from Sisatala More, led by a tractor with a generator, followed by a DJ truck and a large saffron-clad crowd.
As the rally reached the mosque, the crowd suddenly grew frenzied. The DJ truck slowed and briefly halted in front of the structure, as participants grew increasingly animated and waved flags vigorously.
Simultaneously, tension built among residents in the adjacent area. At 4:17:54 pm, a visibly agitated man lunged towards the procession despite attempts to restrain him. The trigger remains unclear; a local resident suggested a saffron flag touched the mosque, but Alt News could not verify it.
Though both sides initially appeared to pull back, the situation did not de-escalate. Most of the procession had moved forward, but a handful at the rear continued arguing with residents, who also held their ground. This lingering exchange escalated into a fresh clash: People returned to the scene, and violence broke out, with stones thrown and sticks used. Police arrived at the scene at 4.38 pm, following which the situation gradually normalized.
Ailer Upor
Eyewitnesses told Alt News that after being dispersed from Sistola, the crowd moved towards Kalitala, drawing in more people from nearby areas like Chamarpara. By around 5:00 pm, the mob had swelled to roughly 500. Agitated by the earlier clash, it allegedly went on a rampage a few hundred metres ahead in Ailer Upor. When Alt News visited the spot, signs of violence were still visible — shattered windows, damaged shopfronts and battered vehicles.
A source in the administration, however, described a different sequence. According to them, the Sisatola crowd did not move towards Ailer Upor. Instead, a separate rally passing through Kalitala was attacked by locals angered by news of an assault on the mosque. Stones were allegedly hurled from rooftops and balconies at this procession, which included participants from Ghoshpara and Chamarpara. The rally then retaliated, leading to indiscriminate violence. The source added that central forces on the ground had identified troublemakers and were prepared to act, but no orders were issued.
Despite conflicting accounts on who initiated the violence, there is little dispute over its scale. Videos from the day show a mob vandalising a white SUV which was still present at the scene when Alt News visited. Eyewitnesses claimed that although there was heavy police presence, they did little done to prevent destruction of property. Some also alleged that the mob included both locals and outsiders, with certain individuals identifying Muslim-owned homes and shops — a claim that could not be independently verified.
The mob then moved towards Fultala but was stopped by police and central forces. On its way back towards Kalitala, a second round of vandalism reportedly took place. Here too, accounts diverge: locals say the group was halted well before reaching Fultala, while sources in the administration, who did not want to be identified, maintained it was stopped only a few hundred metres from Fultala More.
Residents of Ailer Upor said around 30 people were injured, though none required prolonged hospitalisation. Several toto vehicles passing through the area were also reportedly attacked, with claims that passengers and drivers were targeted based on their identity.
Fultala
While the first rally was stopped just before it could enter Fultala, a larger procession had already mobilised from Mackenzie Park (locally known as Mackenzieganj).
There is a discrepancy over its timing. Local shopkeepers told Alt News the rally reached Fultala around 4:30 pm. However, our source in the administration said it only began moving after 5 pm, showing a photograph taken inside Mackenzie Park at 5 pm, the timestamp of which was verified through the image metadata.
By the time this larger rally set out, participants were already aware of the violence in Sistola and Ailer Upor.
At Fultala More, a municipal structure carried an “I Love Mohammed” poster along with an Islamic flag.
According to the administration, the escalation at Fultala began when members of the rally climbed a municipal structure at the crossing and hoisted a saffron flag alongside an existing Islamic flag. A “Muslim youth” then reportedly climbed up and removed the saffron flag, after which several Hindu youths attempted unsuccessfully to take down the Islamic flag.
What followed was a sharp escalation. Members of the rally moved through the nearly one-kilometre stretch of Fultala market, targeting Muslim-owned shops. Shops were vandalised, goods set on fire, and shopkeepers assaulted.
Alt News found three videos that corroborate this sequence. In one, a saffron flag is raised on one side of the structure while others attempt to pull down the Islamic flag, even as voices in the background urge restraint.
In another, two individuals are seen removing the saffron flag.
A third shows more people climbing up and again trying to take down the Islamic flag — by then, the saffron flag is no longer visible.
Taken together, the footage aligns with administrative and eyewitnesses accounts. When Alt News visited the spot, no saffron flag was visible on the structure at Fultala More, suggesting it was not reinstalled after being removed.
The Targeted Violence in Fultala
Alt News visited the Fultala Market to understand the nature of the damage first hand. Signs of violence were clearly visible — charred shopfronts, vandalised vinyl flex signboards, broken fruit carts and damaged stalls. We spotted several shops with Hindu names which were untouched by the violence. Among them were two sweet shops, both of which in tact and operational when we visited. Their owners confirmed to Alt News that these shop did not face any damage. Arup Ghosh, one of the Hindu shop-owners, said he pulled his shutters down as soon as he saw the miscreants running down the street. The Hindutva vigilantes, he told us, never approached him.
Muslim shopkeepers from the area alleged that the miscreants identified their targets seeing the names of the shops. “On Ram Navami, the mob went on a rampage and targeted nearly 100 shops and carts, most belonging to small and medium Muslim traders and hawkers,” one of them said.
The photos below corroborate the claims of targeted violence. All the shops in the following images are within a 1-km stretch in Fultala market. The shops carrying visibly Muslim names were attacked. Those with Hindu names were left untouched:
Alt News accessed 39 police complaints filed by Muslim shop owners from Fultala. Their names are as follows:
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- Toki Sheikh, a tea stall owner, had biscuits, eggs and other items looted. The owner escaped. Total loss: Rs 35,000.
- Majibur Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his shop looted.
- Sohan Sheikh, a flower seller, had his shop looted and money taken by the perpetrators.
- Anaul Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his shop looted.
- Sukhchand Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his shop looted.
- Salim Sheikh had his store looted.
- Barkat Sheikh suffered vandalism worth Rs 30,000.
- Siton Sheikh had his Pulsar bike vandalised and faced violence upon resisting.
- Samir Sheikh, a hardware store owner, had his store looted.
- Nadim Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his fruits and cash worth Rs 40,000 looted.
- Saheb Sheikh had goods worth Rs 1,55,000 looted.
- Tahirul Sheikh, a fruit seller, had fruits in his van and other items looted, along with Rs 22,000 in cash and his fruit weighing machine.
- Raqibul Sheikh, owner of Nice Hotel, had food looted, his bike vandalised and Rs 2.6 lakh in cash stolen.
- Asif Soyel, owner of a ration shop, had his shop looted. Marble was also stolen from a nearby shop.
- Samir Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his fruits looted and Rs 15 lakh in cash stolen.
- Obaidul Sheikh, a fruit seller, had fruits worth Rs 1.9 lakh looted.
- Amjad Hossein, a fruit seller, had Rs 20,000 in cash looted.
- Nabab Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his shop looted. Total loss: Rs 1.8 lakh.
- Makaharuddin Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his shop looted, Rs 40,000 in cash stolen, his CCTV camera vandalised, and his life threatened.
- Shahrukh Sheikh’s son was beaten up brutally and admitted to hospital. Another son’s toto was vandalised.
- Emam Sheikh, a fruit seller, had Rs 1.4 lakh in cash looted and was beaten up.
- Hediatullah Sheikh, owner of Tauhid Muslim Hotel, had his hotel vandalised and its furniture and CCTV broken.
- Maidul Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his store vandalised, Rs 3 lakh in cash looted and was beaten up.
- Bapi Sheikh had goods in his van vandalised and Rs 90,000 in cash taken.
- Sujauddin Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his store looted and Rs 40,000 in cash stolen.
- Saidul Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his store looted.
- Shariul Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his store looted, Rs 48,000 stolen and was attacked.
- Rabiul Sheikh had his fruit shop and bag shop looted. Total loss: Rs 3 lakh.
- Mafizuddin Sheikh had goods worth Rs 32 lakh looted.
- Surah Sheikh, a fruit seller, was attacked and had fruits worth Rs 1,58,000 looted.
- (Illegible) Sheikh had goods worth Rs 60,000 looted.
- Gola Hossein, a fruit seller, had Rs 70,000 looted.
- Tanbir Sheikh had goods from his van looted and Rs 70,000 in cash stolen.
- Akbar Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his van vandalised and goods in the van looted.
- Abdul Kadir, a shoe store owner, had his store looted. Total loss: Rs 2.40 lakh.
- Azad Sheikh, a fruit seller, was threatened with swords and other weapons and had his shop looted.
- Soleiman Sheikh, who had a car full of stuff, had Rs 40,000 in cash stolen.
- Alamgir Sheikh, a fruit seller, had his fruits and cash looted. Total loss: Rs 1.5 lakh.
- Barsat Sheikh had his van looted and cash stolen. Total loss: Rs 80,000-90,000.
The Characters
Kabir Sheikh’s account (From Sisatala): Kabir Sheikh alleged that participants in the Ram Navami procession attacked his house, assaulted him, and vandalised two toto (e-rickshaw) vehicles parked there. In one of the viral images from the incident, Kabir can be seen injured. “During the scuffle, a lot of youths came and pelted bricks and stones at my house. One of the bricks hit me under the eye. My brother and I have two totos. They vandalised both the vehicles,” he said.
The man, in his late 20s, further claimed that the mob initially fled towards Kalitola. According to him, when the police arrived later, they brought the miscreants back towards the village, from where they moved again, this time towards Fultola, crossing through open fields.
Women of Sisatala: Tanuja Bibi alleged that police forcibly entered her home after the Sisatala incident and arrested her husband late at night. “My husband wasn’t at home during the incident. He returned from work at 7 pm. The police broke our door, entered, and arrested him. Our children held the officers’ feet, pleading with them, but they showed no mercy. They dragged him from the bed and took him into custody,” she said.
Recounting the events of March 26, she also claimed that local BJP leader Paresh Mondal refused to lower the volume of music played during the procession despite repeated requests. “They came during azaan and stopped near the mosque. We asked them to reduce the volume, but they played it even louder,” she said, attributing this to the escalation that followed.
Another resident described how her child had been outside when violence broke out. She rushed to bring the child back but was struck on the elbow by a brick, allegedly hurled from a nearby brick kiln.
Sukhratan Bibi’s account (From Ailer Upor): Sukhratan Bibi said she was sitting outside her property, beside the road, when violence broke out. “I was sitting in front of my shop, which is rented to a homoeopathy doctor. I thought, like every year, the procession would pass peacefully. It did at first, but then it returned and began attacking. When I came in their path, they attacked me,” she said, adding that she suffered a deep injury to her mouth.
The elderly woman said she had to plead with the attackers to spare her life. Though she survived, images of her bloodied condition went viral, further heightening tensions in the area.
Hazrat Sheikh’s account (From Ailer Upor): Hazrat Sheikh, a local wood mason, said he lost nearly ₹50,000 in cash, his woodworking tools, and suffered a fractured arm in the violence.
“Every year the Ram Navami procession passes peacefully. This time, it was far more aggressive. The DJ was so loud that the tin shed in front of my shop was vibrating. The main procession moved on without incident, but a rearguard of 40–50 youths, some with their faces covered, suddenly began attacking,” he said. “One of them struck my head with a bamboo lathi and then they assaulted me with an iron pipe. The lathi broke in the impact.”
Hazrat said the assault fractured his right arm. As he managed to escape, the mob vandalised his shop, damaged the frontage, and fled with cash. “A customer had just paid me ₹50,000 for furniture work. In the chaos, that money was taken. They also broke my working arm. As a daily wage earner, I don’t know how I will recover from this,” he added.
Rabiul Sheikh’s account (From Fultala): Rabiul Sheikh, a trader in his mid-fifties who has been selling bags in Fultala for over three decades, said he had never witnessed such violence before. “All political parties hold rallies through this area, and nothing like this has ever happened. This time was different,” he said.
Despite sensing tension, he did not shut his shop. That decision left him with six stitches on his head and a fractured finger. “The rally passed in front of my shop. After some time, they returned and started attacking with sticks and rods. They kept hitting my head. I raised my hand to protect myself, and my little finger got fractured,” he said.
“I kept asking them, ‘Why are you beating me? What have I done?’ But they didn’t answer. They just kept hitting me. I finally ran to save myself. In the chaos, a pouch with around ₹25,000 fell from my lungi,” he added.
Alt News accessed CCTV footage from a neighbouring biryani shop that captures the moments when Rabiul was repeatedly assaulted.
Kingshuk Sarkar: RSS worker Kingshuk Sarkar was among those arrested following the violence. In a video that later went viral, he is seen being questioned by locals over why only Muslim-owned shops were targeted. “Why are you naming only one community?” he responds aggressively before walking away. In the footage, Sarkar can also be seen holding a walkie-talkie.
Yesterday, during the Ram Navami procession, shops belonging to Muslims were set on fire and vandalized in Murshidabad.
When asked, ‘Why were Muslim-owned shops set on fire?’, he responded, ‘Why are you mentioning the name of a particular community?’
Kingshuk Roy and Dhananjay… https://t.co/6hUisBfxvl pic.twitter.com/2M7yBmH8U1— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 28, 2026
Unidentified man (French-cut beard): A video that surfaced online shows a saffron-clad man recording himself amid the violence. In the clip, he is heard saying, “We are beating up people now,” before urging others to assault more individuals. “Ei, beat this guy up,” he says, using expletives, while violence continues in the background. He is also seen holding a saffron flag.
Subal Chandra Ghosh, President, BJP Jangipur organizational district: In a video uploaded on Facebook, Ghosh said that the “attack on the Ram Navami procession” in Jangipur was an assault on India’s cultural heritage. Referring to past incidents in Samserganj and Beldanga, he said Hindus felt increasingly unsafe in the district, as if they were living in Bangladesh or Pakistan. Calling Ram Navami a festival of joy for Hindus, he alleged the procession was attacked brutally. According to him, around 35 people were injured.
Alt News tried to contact him repeatedly and called him up several times, but got no response.
The key findings from our on-ground investigation are as follows:
Graphics: Atreyo Roy
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