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Muluk murder case

SOLVED2009Muluk village, near Bolpur, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On the morning of 19 November 1987, a procession of Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), activists passing through the village of Muluk near Bolpur in Birbhum district, West Bengal, attacked four Naxalite farm labourers who were working in nearby fields. According to the Wikipedia account of the case, the mob beat the four men with sticks and hacked them to death. The victims were identified as Sheikh Jiauddin, Sheikh Mannan, Sudhir Ghosh, and Nirmal Ghosh, all supporters of the Kanu Sanyal faction of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), or CPI(ML).

The case proceeded through the courts over more than two decades. Of the 56 people chargesheeted in connection with the killings, 10 died before the case concluded. On 31 March 2009, the district judge of Birbhum, Dipak Saha Ray, convicted and awarded life terms to 46 CPI(M) cadres for their involvement in the murders. Those convicted included Akhtar Sheikh, who had served as the CPI(M) upapradhan (deputy head) of the Muluk gram panchayat; Roushan Ali, a former CPI(M) panchayat samiti member; Mistri Murmu, a former CPI(M) gram panchayat member; and Safiul Rahaman, a former CPI(M) branch committee secretary. Also among the convicted were two primary school teachers, an employee of the state electricity board, and a staff member of the National Volunteer Force (NVF).

The convicts were found guilty under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and 149 (unlawful assembly with common object) of the Indian Penal Code, and were each ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 in addition to their life sentences.

Two corroborating references — from telegraphindia.com and thestatesman.net — are cited by the Wikipedia article as sources for the verdict but their specific text was not available for direct review in this dossier; they are listed here as independent corroborating citations without additional facts drawn from them.

Key facts

Victims
Sheikh Mannan, Sudhir Ghosh, Sheikh Jiauddin, Nirmal Ghosh
Date
2009
Location
Muluk village, near Bolpur, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1987-11-19

    A CPI(M) procession attacked four CPI(ML) farm labourers in the fields at Muluk village, Birbhum district; the four were beaten with sticks and hacked to death.

  2. 2009-03-31

    The district judge of Birbhum, Dipak Saha Ray, convicted 46 CPI(M) cadres and sentenced them to life terms for the murders, along with fines of Rs 5,000 each.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Sheikh Mannan

    VICTIM

    CPI(ML) (Kanu Sanyal faction) farm labourer killed on 19 November 1987

  • Sudhir Ghosh

    VICTIM

    CPI(ML) (Kanu Sanyal faction) farm labourer killed on 19 November 1987

  • Akhtar Sheikh

    CONVICTED

    Then CPI(M) upapradhan of Muluk gram panchayat; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009

  • Mistri Murmu

    CONVICTED

    Then CPI(M) gram panchayat member; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009

  • Sheikh Jiauddin

    VICTIM

    CPI(ML) (Kanu Sanyal faction) farm labourer killed on 19 November 1987

  • Dipak Saha Ray

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    District judge of Birbhum who delivered the 31 March 2009 verdict convicting 46 CPI(M) cadres

  • Nirmal Ghosh

    VICTIM

    CPI(ML) (Kanu Sanyal faction) farm labourer killed on 19 November 1987

  • Safiul Rahaman

    CONVICTED

    Then CPI(M) branch committee secretary; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009

  • Roushan Ali

    CONVICTED

    Then CPI(M) panchayat samiti member; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Muluk village, near Bolpur, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India

23.8500, 87.6500

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Four CPI(ML) farm labourers were hacked to death by a CPI(M) mob in Muluk village, Birbhum district, West Bengal, on 19 November 1987; 46 CPI(M) cadres were convicted and sentenced to life terms in 2009.
Where did the murder happen?
Muluk village, near Bolpur, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India.
Who was convicted?
Akhtar Sheikh (Then CPI(M) upapradhan of Muluk gram panchayat; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009), Mistri Murmu (Then CPI(M) gram panchayat member; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009), Safiul Rahaman (Then CPI(M) branch committee secretary; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009), and Roushan Ali (Then CPI(M) panchayat samiti member; convicted and given a life term on 31 March 2009).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
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Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMuluk murder caseWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of the Muluk murder case verdicttelegraphindia.com · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of the Muluk murder case verdictthestatesman.net · 2026-07-10