Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Theatre artiste attacked by vigilantes after admitting he is Muslim
Subhankar Dassharma is a man who acts in theatre plays.
One night, late after a show, a group of people stopped him.
They asked if he was a Muslim because he was wearing black clothes.
He said black clothes are not about religion, but they kept asking.
So he told them the truth: yes, he is a Muslim.
The group then hurt him badly, kicking and punching him until he passed out.
When he woke up, he was alone and had to walk three kilometers to his home.
A doctor later found that he had a broken eardrum from the attack.
He told the police, who are now looking at camera videos to find the attackers.
He says he will keep wearing black because everyone has the right to wear any color.
Theatre artiste Subhankar Dassharma, 40, was assaulted by vigilantes in Shyamnagar, around 40km from Calcutta, late on the night of July 28.
The group allegedly questioned whether he was Muslim because he wore black; he answered 'Yes, I am a Musalman' rather than falsely claim to be Hindu.
He was pinned to the road, kicked and punched, heard some attackers shout 'Jai Sri Ram' while tearing his black panjabi, and lost consciousness.
Diagnosed on August 2 at BN Bose Subdivisional Hospital with a ruptured eardrum, he was prescribed painkillers and antibiotics.
A zero FIR was initiated at Noapara police station and transferred to Jagaddal police station; Dassharma said he will keep wearing black.
Dassharma, who was beaten once during the Trinamool regime before, called growing dissent against the party barely three months in power unprecedented.
- Who
- Subhankar Dassharma, a 40-year-old theatre artiste with the troupe JanaGanaMana, and the unidentified vigilante group that attacked him.
- What
- Dassharma was beaten by the group after he answered 'Yes, I am a Musalman' when asked if he was a Muslim, suffering a ruptured eardrum; a zero FIR was lodged.
- When
- Late on the night of July 28; he was treated at hospital on August 2.
- Where
- Shyamnagar, North 24-Parganas, around 40km from Calcutta.
- Why
- The group allegedly questioned his religion because he was wearing black and he refused to falsely identify himself as a Hindu to avoid the assault.
- Victim
- Subhankar Dassharma, 40, theatre artiste with JanaGanaMana troupe
- Incident
- Vigilante assault after a religion query
- Date of attack
- Late on the night of July 28
- Location
- Shyamnagar, North 24-Parganas, ~40km from Calcutta
- Injury
- Ruptured eardrum; painkillers and antibiotics prescribed
- Hospital
- BN Bose Subdivisional Hospital, visited August 2
- Police action
- Zero FIR at Noapara police station, transferred to Jagaddal police station; CCTV reviewed
- Reason for going public
- Sister 'brutally trolled' for comments on Delhi Police's crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar