A shopkeeper’s alleged murder in West Bengal’s Titagarh on September 11 has triggered a controversy after Barrackpore BJP MLA Koustav Bagchi attempted to give it a communal spin by describing the victim as a 'Sanatani' murdered by 'jihadis'. In a … Read on blog or Reader Alt News Read on blog or Reader ‘Nothing communal’: On camera, victim’s son interrupts Bengal BJP MLA’s ‘jihadi’ claim over Titagarh murder By Anindya Hazra on 15th September 2026 A shopkeeper’s alleged murder in West Bengal’s Titagarh on September 11 has triggered a controversy after Barrackpore BJP MLA Koustav Bagchi attempted to give it a communal spin by describing the victim as a 'Sanatani' murdered by 'jihadis'. In a 33-secong-long video that has now gone viral for over a week, the MLA's claim was challenged on camera by the victim’s son, who interrupted Bagchi to say that there was nothing communal or political about his father’s murder. https://vimeo.com/1226877373 The victim, Ramji Shaw, used to run a small corner shop from a portion of his home in the GC road area of Ward 18 of Barrackpore Municipality. He was allegedly killed after he refused to sell cigarettes on credit. Ramji Shaw's ran his shop from a portion of his home According to the locals, on September 11 afternoon, Shaw was trying to protect his son, who was allegedly being assaulted by three young men who were demanding to buy cigarettes from the shop without paying money on spot. As Shaw declined to sell cigarettes on credit, the men allegedly began attacking him and his son. In the physical altercation, Shaw was pushed and heckled and lost consciousness. His family members rushed him to Barrackpore B N Bose sub-divisional hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. According to locals, the three accused have been identified as Banti Ghosh, Sk. Sahil and Md. Nasir. Shaw's wife had told Bengali news channel ABP Ananda that the accused had assaulted their son in the past. Deceased's Son Corrects MLA As news of the alleged murder spread in the locality, Bagchi visited the deceased's family the same day. Speaking to news channels while at Shaw's home, he attempted to present the murder as communally motivated, specifically targeting the identity of the two accused who belong to the Muslim community. In the viral clip, Bagchi can be heard saying (translated from Bengali), "This incident is not just related to an altercation over payment. Three Jihadis have killed a Sanatani. They wouldn't have killed someone from their own religion." However, even before Bagchi could finish his sentence, the deceased's son corrected him, (translated from Bengali), "Sir, there is nothing related to religion in this case. The accused had come to my shop, looking to buy things on credit. When my father objected, they beat him up." The BJP MLA, seeming baffled by the interruption, responded: "I am speaking! Why are you not letting me speak!". A few moments later, a person in purple shirt can be seen escorting the son to another room. While leaving the scene, the son stated, "This is not a matter of party politics." 'Politicians Inciting Locals for Electoral Gains' Alt News visited the locality to independently verify the claims surrounding the murder and Bagchi's allegation of a communal motive. While the bereaved wife and son both declined to speak, Shaw's daughter Rikita confirmed to Alt News that it was indeed her brother who was seen correcting Bagchi in the viral video. Sheikh Afroz (Ripon), who is Shaw's immediate neighbour, said that the people in the area lived in communal harmony, as Hindus and Muslims co-existed there for generations. He added that politicians were, in fact, attempting to incite hostility between the communities. He also confirmed that Shaw's son was seen in the video. "After the tragic incident, locals started to protest against the 'gundagardi' culture, and police officers had to come and pacify the situation. As the area is predominantly occupied by Muslims, most of the protesters were also Muslim. Does this not prove that this was not a communal incident?" asked Afroz. A few metres from Shaw's house, Md Mansoor, who runs a mobile repairing shop, said that Shaw's shop used to have 'ittar' (perfume) and 'surma' (kohl) which were not found anywhere else in the area. "Every Eid, people from the Muslim community thronged to his shop to buy these products. Given that this was the reality which we saw every day, we don't understand where this communal angle is coming from," he said. According to Mansoor, the accused youths were "known troublemakers". "It is unfair to malign the name of an entire area and community for the wrongdoings of a select few. One of the accused is a Hindu, but the MLA still went on to claim that Shaw was murdered by Jihadis. Most of the shops in the neighbourhood, which is a predominantly Muslim area, were all shut in protest of Shaw's murder for a few days after, only because there is no feeling of communal tension in this area," Mansoor added. No Communal Motive: Police Alt News spoke to Titagrah officer-in-charge (OC) Atanu Chakraborty. The police station is located 1 km away from the crime scene. The officer confirmed that three people had been arrested in connection with the case. He said police did not find any communal motive behind the incident. The accused had pushed and beaten Shaw, following which Shaw suffered a stroke and died, he added. "The accused are Sk Sahil, Md Nasir and Banti Ghosh. We have primarily booked them under sections pertaining to murder and further investigation is on. We couldn't find any communal angle behind the crime," he said, adding, the accused have been involved in public nuisance in the area in the past. The police account, therefore, refutes Bagchi's claims of a communal motive behind the alleged murder. My Comments Twisted, Victim's Son Apologised later, Claims MLA Speaking to Alt News, Bagchi alleged, "There is no confusion. Some people are trying to do mischief with my quote. If I wanted, I could have done a lot of things over this issue, but I restrained myself considering the situation of the family. The area where this family lives are surrounded by Muslims — 90 out of 100 people living here are Muslims. The Hindu's are constantly under a lot of pressure. So, whatever they said that day is due to fear." "I have a video of Ramji Shaw's son. He had made a video and had sent it to me, clarifying their position. He also called me and apologised. Since my comments are being twisted, now I feel I have to publish the video that I have. I told his son that I can understand his emotions, his pain and fear. In the video, he also said that Hindus in that area are very few in number compared to the Muslims. However, they haven't yet realised that the TMC government is gone and they [Hindus] are safe. I told him to be fearless," Bagchi claimed, adding, "There definitely is a communal angle to this incident. The Muslims have kept the Hindus in that are terrorised." When asked about the one Hindu accused and how he could confidently claim that Shaw was murdered by 'jihadis', Bagchi said, "Banti Ghosh is a rowdy element and he mixes with them [the other two accused]. However, the main culprits are the two Muslims men. They have continued this for long, and you won't find them attacking any Muslim." Alt News' interactions with the locals and an observation of how they live, however, contradict Bagchi's 'fear of Muslims' narrative. Shaw's house is 550 metres from the Titagarh railway station. About 200 metres from the station, beside G C Road, stands a Muslim shrine (mazar), and next to it, a Ganesh Puja pandal has been erected. The two structures are separated only by a food stall. A Ganesh Puja pandal stands beside the Muslim shrine on G C Road in Titagarh A search on Google Maps of the area brought up an image from two years ago, in which a Durga Puja pandal was erected right next to the same Muslim shrine. Durga Puja pandal next to the Muslim shrine, from two years ago Further down the road, opposite to Mansoor's shop, is Hasanjan Sporting Club, and a Hindu temple stands right next to it. Pointing towards the narrow path beside the club, Mansoor said, "Ten families live there. Six are Muslim and four are Hindu."

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