Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Questions Mount Over Bangladesh Police Rangpur Family Murder Probe
Four members of a Hindu family were found murdered in Rangpur, Bangladesh.
The victims were a retired teacher, his wife, their daughter and their 12-year-old son.
Police arrested two young men and said they had gone to the house to use yaba, a drug.
Police allege the men killed the family after the teacher confronted them.
However, drug tests reportedly showed no drugs in the two suspects.
People also question how the suspects could have stayed in the house for hours after the killings without being noticed.
Other concerns include changing police explanations and possible problems with evidence at the scene.
The case has made many people worry that the investigation is unfair and that Hindus in Bangladesh are not being adequately protected.
Retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife, daughter and 12-year-old son were murdered in Rangpur.
Police allege Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das killed the family after confronting Ganapati while consuming yaba.
Drug tests reportedly found no trace of drugs in either accused man.
Critics cite changing police accounts, disputed theft figures and unanswered questions about the crime scene.
The case has intensified concerns among Bangladesh’s Hindu community about minority safety and the investigation.
- Who
- The victims were Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata, their daughter Agami and their 12-year-old son Priyam; police arrested Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das.
- What
- Four members of a Hindu family were murdered, and the police investigation into the killings has been questioned.
- When
- The murders occurred on the intervening night of August 20 and 21, 2026; the article was published September 4, 2026.
- Where
- At the Chakraborty family’s home in Rangpur, Bangladesh.
- Why
- Police allege the suspects were confronted while consuming yaba, while critics say the official explanation leaves major questions unanswered.
Police Account
Critics’ Concerns
Cause and sequence of the killings
Police Account
Police allege Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das went to the roof to consume yaba, were confronted by Ganapati and then killed the family.
Critics’ Concerns
The accused’s families and local critics question whether two lean young men could have killed four people in a densely populated area without causing a major disturbance.
Drug allegations
Police Account
Police say the suspects consumed yaba before and after the killings.
Critics’ Concerns
Drug tests reportedly showed no trace of drugs in either suspect, weakening that part of the police explanation.
Reliability of the investigation
Police Account
Authorities have arrested two prime suspects and presented a robbery-and-drug-related theory.
Critics’ Concerns
Critics point to changing accounts of where and how the victims were killed, disputed amounts of missing property, and possible damage to forensic evidence from overflowing water.
- Victims
- Ganapati Chakraborty, 65; Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; their daughter Agami; and their 12-year-old son Priyam.
- Suspects
- Siddhartha Das, 19, and Mugdha Das, 23.
- Police theory
- Police allege the two suspects went to the roof to consume yaba, confronted Ganapati and killed the four family members.
- Drug-test result
- Reports cited in the article said tests showed no trace of drugs in either suspect.
- Crime-scene locations
- The boy was reportedly found below a ground-floor bed, the mother and daughter on the stairs, and the father on the roof.
- Investigation concerns
- Critics questioned changing police accounts, alleged cash and jewellery discrepancies, and water overflowing after a pump was left running.
- Strategic location
- The article says Rangpur is about 135 kilometres from Siliguri and about 100 kilometres from India’s Chicken’s Neck.