What Was The Sainbari Murders?

The Sainbari Murders: A Chilling Tale of Political Violence in West Bengal

The history of post-independence India is riddled with tragic instances of political violence, but few are as harrowing and politically significant as the Sainbari murders. This brutal episode, which occurred on March 17, 1970, in the town of Bardhaman, West Bengal, remains one of the darkest chapters in the political history of the state. At the center of this gruesome crime was a family loyal to the Indian National Congress, the Sains, who paid the price for their political affiliations amidst the rising tide of Marxist influence in the region.

Political Background

To understand the Sainbari murders, one must look at the turbulent political landscape of West Bengal in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The United Front, a coalition of Left parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), had come to power in 1967, ending Congress dominance in the state. However, the coalition government collapsed in 1969, and the political atmosphere became volatile.

Congress (R), led by Indira Gandhi at the national level, retained significant support in parts of West Bengal. The Sain family, influential Congress supporters in Bardhaman, refused to shift allegiance to the CPI(M), a decision that would soon have fatal consequences. With growing political hostility and the CPI(M) making aggressive moves to consolidate control, those loyal to the Congress became targeted, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.

The Murders

On the morning of March 17, 1970, a group of CPI(M) cadres stormed the Sain household. In a horrific act of brutality, they murdered two brothers, Malay and Pranab Sain, hacking them to death in front of their family. Their elder brother, Naba Kumar Sain, was reportedly blinded in the attack and was murdered under mysterious circumstances a year later. Another victim was the family’s private tutor, Jitendranath Roy, who was also killed during the assault.

Perhaps the most disturbing detail of the incident was what followed the killings. It is alleged that the attackers forced the mother of the slain boys to eat rice soaked in their blood — a macabre act that symbolized not just physical destruction but psychological annihilation.

This horrific episode shook the conscience of the nation. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi personally visited the family shortly after the incident, highlighting the gravity and political significance of the event. Yet, justice remained elusive.

Aftermath and Legal Inaction

Despite the ghastly nature of the crime, no one was ever convicted. Several CPI(M) leaders, including Benoy Krishna Konar, Anil Basu, Nirupam Sen, and Amal Halder, were named as accused. However, the case was quickly buried under political pressure and bureaucratic inertia. Even the Mukherji Commission, set up in the immediate aftermath, failed to bring any concrete results. Although the commission identified a breakdown of law and order and hinted at political conspiracy, its findings were never acted upon decisively.

Over the decades, various governments, both state and central, failed to reopen the case meaningfully. Evidence allegedly disappeared, witnesses were silenced or forgotten, and the political will to pursue justice vanished. The CPI(M), which held power in West Bengal for more than three decades, never acknowledged the incident beyond dismissing it as a political conspiracy by Congress.

Reopening the Case

In 2011, after the fall of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government, the new Trinamool Congress government expressed interest in reopening the case. There were announcements and promises, but yet again, the initiative lost steam. The police admitted that many crucial documents were missing or damaged, making prosecution extremely difficult. While some individuals were questioned, the matter again faded from public discourse.

The only sustained efforts to keep the memory of the Sainbari massacre alive came from independent researchers, political activists, and the victims’ family members. In recent years, right-wing groups have highlighted the incident as part of their critique of Marxist violence in Bengal.

Historical Erasure and Selective Amnesia

What makes the Sainbari murders particularly significant is the silence that followed. Unlike the 1984 anti-Sikh riots or the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Sainbari killings were never given due attention in public memory or school textbooks. Generations of students in West Bengal and India at large have grown up without any knowledge of the massacre. This erasure reflects how history is often written by those in power — and conveniently forgets those episodes that challenge dominant political narratives.

Calls have grown over the years to include the Sainbari incident in official histories and educational syllabi to ensure that future generations understand the perils of political extremism and mob violence. A few documentaries and short films have recently attempted to bring the story to a wider audience, but mainstream acknowledgment remains limited.

Cultural and Moral Implications

Beyond the political dimension, the Sainbari murders stand as a chilling example of how ideology, when unchecked, can lead to dehumanization. The violence was not random — it was targeted, symbolic, and public. It was meant to send a message to those who dared to resist political conformity. The act of forcing a mother to consume her children’s blood-tainted food is a grotesque metaphor for political vengeance that aims to destroy not just individuals, but the spirit of resistance itself.

Moreover, the lack of justice raises fundamental questions about the Indian legal and political system. How can such a brutal incident remain unresolved for over five decades? What does it say about the role of state institutions in protecting citizens from political violence?

Conclusion

The Sainbari murders remain an open wound in the history of West Bengal — a tragic reminder of what happens when politics descends into fanaticism and violence. The victims never received justice, the perpetrators walked free, and the incident was slowly erased from public memory. But history has a way of resurfacing, especially when it carries the weight of unacknowledged pain.

Revisiting and acknowledging such incidents is not about settling political scores; it is about ensuring that democracy is never again held hostage by ideology-driven violence. The Sainbari massacre is not just a story of a family’s tragedy — it is a lesson in the cost of political extremism and the necessity of institutional justice. If India is to remain a democratic and just society, it must not forget Sainbari.