Rangpur’s Taragonj Upazila witnessed a tragic incident where two men, Rupalal Das and Pradip Lal, were brutally beaten to death by a mob after being falsely accused of theft.
According to eyewitness accounts and local representatives, police arrived at the scene while the mob attack was underway but fled without rescuing the victims, intimidated by the size of the crowd.
Nearly an hour later, with the support of the military, the two men were found unconscious and taken for medical treatment—one died before reaching the hospital and the other passed away hours later.
Local witnesses and officials spoke with media to detail the chilling sequence of events. Abdul Hamid, a member of the Sayer Union Parishad in Taragonj, expressed deep frustration at the police response.
“What is the administration for? Police came but did not save the men because they saw the mob. If the police had wanted, they could have saved these two lives,” Hamid was quoted by Prothom Alo.
Rupalal Das, 40, lived in Ghonirampur village of Kursha Union with his mother, wife, and three children. He made a living by repairing shoes in the local market. Pradip Lal, 35, was a van driver from Baluabhata village in Mithapukur Upazila and was married to Rupalal’s niece.
The two had been traveling together to Ghonirampur on the night of August 3 to discuss Rupalal’s daughter’s upcoming marriage.
The trouble began when they reached Botola area on the Taragonj-Kajirhat road, where a group of youths stopped them. A struggle ensued after the mob found several small plastic bottles in Pradip’s van, which led to accusations of theft.
The situation escalated quickly as a crowd gathered and labeled the two men as thieves. A local named Mehedi Hasan even feigned fainting, prompting others to take Rupalal and Pradip away in their arms.
However soon, the crowd identified them as suspects and began beating them severely. They were dragged to the field of Burirhat High School, about three kilometers away, where the beating continued.
Eyewitness Khokon Mia, a vegetable vendor near Burirhat market, recalled, “Police vans arrived around 9:30 pm but left after seeing the large mob. They did not rescue the men, even though both were still alive.”
Van driver Rafiqul Islam described how the police tried to disperse the crowd by firing tear gas but eventually retreated. “The crowd would not back down, so police left. Later, police and army arrived with three vehicles and took the two men away while they were unconscious,” he said.
The police said that the distance from the police station to the school was significant, and with a crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 people, protecting the victims was challenging. Officer in charge M.A. Faruk said, “The police tried to protect them but could not safely do so because of the overwhelming number of people.”
Rupalal’s mother, Lalchi Das, tearfully demanded justice. “My husband was a simple man who never fought with anyone. He was killed without any fault. I want the killers to be punished,” she said.
This incident occurred amid growing tensions in the area, where several thefts and violent crimes had recently sparked community anger and nightly patrols to catch thieves. Tragically, Rupalal and Pradip became victims of mob justice fueled by suspicion and frustration.
