The investigation into the Tamanna Khatun murder case has gained further momentum as the West Bengal Police arrested five more individuals in connection with the incident, hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari repeated his government’s commitment to revisit crimes committed during the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime.
The police conducted raids on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to 16.
As per police sources, Jiarul Sheikh and Sabir Sheikh were arrested on Tuesday, while Fakar Sheikh (alias Ismail Sheikh), Hafizul Sheikh, and Minarul Sheikh, were arrested on Wednesday.
Minarul Sheikh was arrested from Gurgaon following which an application for his transit remand was filed in the Gurgaon court to bring him back to West Bengal. Investigators said that a search is on to detain others involved in the case.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari took to Facebook to thank the police for the series of arrests in the case.
“The West Bengal government is firmly committed to establishing the rule of law in the state. Political identity is not a criterion; regardless of who commits the crime, the same legal standards apply to everyone,” he wrote.
The Chief Minister thanked the police for swiftly arresting the accused just 12 hours after meeting the victim’s mother. He emphasised that the law would take its course and that no leniency would be shown to criminals.
Adhikari had also mentioned the Tamanna murder case in the assembly on Tuesday, assuring that her family would receive justice. He underlined his government’s “zero-tolerance” towards crimes in Rampurhat, Hanskhali, Kasba Law College, Kamduni, and Dhupguri.
Tamanna Khatun (10) died in a crude bomb attack on June 23, 2025, the day of the Kaliganj bypoll results. According to her mother Sabina, when Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Alifa Ahmed was leading, goons backed by the then ruling party started attacking supporters of the CPM and hurled bombs at their homes. Tamanna came under one such attack and died at the spot.