Diwali brings tears and nightmare to a family of Jafraganj-Diar area under ward no. 14 of Murshidabad also known as Lalbagh municipality. The youngest child of the family was beheaded as a part of a secret ritual of human sacrifice last year on the day of the festival of lights.

The severed head of Subhas Mondal a 10-year-old child son of a vegetable vendor Tarapada Mondal of Murshidabad was found in a banana orchard. Police investigation revealed that the child had been killed as part of human sacrifice to propitiate deities.

Though police had arrested a turmeric trader Lakhai Mondal of Lalbagh town in Murshidabad district he was released on bail recently. Mondal and his co-accused a Tantrik from Lalgola area were booked on the charge of murder.

According to police it was a case of human sacrifice. The memory of the child’s sacrifice still haunts his mother Renuka Mondal other family members and relatives. Kali Puja and Diwali this time around has landed the Mondal family in gloom as it was the time a year back when the gory killing was committed at a makeshift altar in the name of God.

The sacrificial child was last seen dancing amidst the Diwali lights at the local Kali Puja pandal last year in the semi-urban settlement on the bank of the Bhagirathi river.

Subhas however is now all but forgotten by most of his living neighbours who like every year plunged into celebration and midnight revelry this time too.

As usual they asked the Mondal family for puja subscription this year also. But driven by a feeling of disgust the Mondals refused to pay.

ldquo;It’s a disgrace to see how easily our fellow residents forgot my child. They secretly contributed to funds given to lawyers for the release of the rogue the accused Lakhai Mondal. He is now roaming in public freelyrdquo; said Mrs Mondal the mother of the slain boy. ldquo;I demand his death by hanging. I want justice. I demand CID inquiryrdquo; said Mrs Mondal a homemaker.

Her relative Mrs Dolly Mondal said ldquo;We canrsquo;t afford the expenses of court cases. But we would like to move an upper court. The people local residentswho organised Kali Puja and Diwaliare indifferent.They demanded puja subscription from us.

They are into revelry but no one is willing to help us financially so that we can go to court to seek justice.rdquo; Bikram Mondalthe elder brother of Subhas is a student of class-IX at Nawab Bahadur Institution the only government school.

He said his poor parents may not get justice because the accused have strong political connections.