Bengal Polls: A ‘Martyr’s Mother’ on Campaign Trail

Across a land where streams of blood run, a haunting image stands still in time: the lifeless body of a 10-year-old girl, stained in blood, lies on the ground, her mother beside her, draped in a red stole, a red flag clenched firmly in her hand. Her feet remain rooted in the ground, but her gaze stretches far beyond the horizon. There is grief, but there is also resolve.

Behind her, other mothers gather in solidarity. They too carry red flags, their shoulders wrapped in red cloth, their presence turns mourning into a quiet but powerful resistance. From the mother’s trembling yet defiant voice emerges an echo from history -- words that once rang out in the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, immortalised in the novel, Mother, by Maxim Gorky. When Pavel was arrested and brutally tortured by police, his mother had declared: “They cannot drown reason in blood; they cannot extinguish the flame of truth.”

Today, In Kaliganj of Nadia in West Bengal, those very words find new life in the voice of Sabina Yasmin, mother of 10-year-old Tamanna Khatun, who was allegedly killed after a bomb was hurled at their house during a Trinamool Congress (TMC)  victory rally on June 23, 2025, after the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll.

Yasmin’s voice trembles, but her message is unwavering: “The river of blood unleashed by the perpetrators will not have the final word, I am Tamanna’s mother. My daughter was killed in a barbaric bomb attack by Trinamool activists. She was just a child. Yet, they showed mercy. There has been no justice. Let the killers be punished through the ballot.”

Bereaved Mother Calls for End to ‘Climate of Fear’

Taking a deeply emotive turn in West Bengal’s Assembly elections, Sabina Yasmin has stepped into the political arena as a Left Front-affiliated Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) candidate from Kaliganj Assembly constituency in Nadia district.

Rejecting sympathy-driven politics, Yasmin, a homemaker, seems to be striking a powerful chord during her campaign.

“I am not seeking votes out of sympathy for my daughter’s murder”, she says, adding “Instead, my life and my family stand as living proof of how helpless and insecure people have become under TMC rule in Bengal,”

She also took aim at the Opposition, alleging silence from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite its position in the Assembly. “Even as an opposition party, BJP has remained silent”, she said.

Describing the prevailing atmosphere as “suffocating and terror-stricken”, Yasmin said people were “yearning for change”. “This Assembly election is a crucial opportunity for the oppressed to rise again. We are urging people to stand up and reclaim their voice,” she added.

In a heart-wrenching appeal, she said: “If I can carry on after losing my only child, after bearing the pain of her blood-soaked body, then why can't people find the strength to change this suffocating environment?”  Her words seem to be resonating strongly, bringing both grief and defiance to the forefront of the electoral battlefield in Kaliganj.

Wall writings in support of Sabina Yasmin.

How Did This Rural Housewife Find Courage?

“My murdered daughter, Tamanna, is the source of my strength,” says Yasmin, her voice heavy with grief. “It has been 10 months since she left this world, yet I still cannot close my eyes in peace,” she adds.

“I can still feel her presence, as if she is speaking to me “Ma, I do not understand anything about votes or politics. Even I was not spared. I was just playing in our courtyard... why did they throw a bomb at me and kill me?”

Yasmin adds: “Those who hurled the bomb have not all been punished. They roam freely even today. Until justice is served, Tamanna keeps telling me “Do not stop, Ma”.

On June 23, 2025, following TMC’s victory in the Kaliganj Assembly constituency bye-election, it is alleged that TMC affiliated known miscreants, in a drunken celebration of their victory, hurled a bomb at Tamanna Khatun, a Class IV student, from Molandi village. She was killed instantly. Her father, Hossan Sheikh, is a migrant labourer and a CPM supporter. The incident sparked state-wide outrage, with people demanding the arrest and strict punishment of the perpetrators. Residents of Molandi village continue their protest calling for the arrest of all individuals named in the FIR, demanding Justice for Tamanna.

The incident continues to cast a long shadow over the area. Of the 24 persons accused in the Tamanna’s murder case, 14 remain absconding, according to Kaliganj police station records. However, residents of Molandi village allege that many of them are, in fact, moving around openly in the locality.

Residents have raised serious questions about the role of the police, claiming that the authorities have failed to trace the accused. “How is it possible that the police cannot find them, when they are roaming around in plain sight?” several residents asked.

The voices of anger and frustration are growing sharper. Many in the area allege that the very individuals accused in Tamanna’s killing are also involved in electoral malpractice. “These are the same people who also capture votes”, alleged some villagers.

Issuing a stern warning, local residents, such as Mustakin Sheikh and Samiran Ghose, said that such intimidation and strong-arm tactics would no longer be tolerated. “This time people of Kaliganj will resist, we will not allow this to go on anymore,” they asserted.

It is reported that after Tamanna’s murder, Kaliganj TMC M L A Alifa Ahmed did not visit her family even once and BJP activists also stayed away.

A few days after the incident, Bharatpur TMC MLA Humayun Kabir came to meet Tamanna’s mother, offering financial assistance. “She refused it”, said a neighbour, adding that “She made it clear to the ruling party MLA that she would not be swayed by money. All she wants is justice for her daughter, and she will continue to fight for it.”

Since then, Yasmin has not paused in her struggle even for a single day, her neighbour Mosnema Bibi told this this reporter.

Yasmin has paid a heavy price for her pursuit of justice. From the night of July 22 last year, until the following morning, personnel from the Kaliganj Police Station allegedly launched another attack on their home, targeting even her neighbours. The motive, residents allege, was singular -- to intimidate witnesses of Tamanna’s ‘murder’.

The next day, Yasmin, along with her husband and local CITU workers, staged a protest before the Krishnanagar Superintendent of Police, demanding accountability and protection, as their fight for justice continued.

She did not stop there. In her continued pursuit of justice, she raised her voice at several agitation platforms in Kolkata, demanding justice for “Abhaya” (the RG Kar Hospital victim). Just days ago, Yasmin was also present at a protest organised by Left parties in front of the Election Commission’s Office in Kolkata opposing the Special Intensive Revision or SIR of electoral rolls.

In a true sense, Tamanna’s mother, Sabina Yasmin, has today emerged as one of the faces of protest in Bengal -- a symbol of unwavering resistance and a relentless quest for justice.  She has now stepped into an even bigger battle -- the electoral arena.

How is Yasmin Campaigning?

Kaliganj is located nearly 170 kilometers from the northern side of Kolkata. The Kaliganj Assembly constituency comprises 13 gram panchayats, most of them working class and economically disadvantaged people.  A significant portion of the population in the area belongs to the minority Muslim community.

Under the SIR process, around 16,000 valid voters in this constituency are currently “under adjudication” status, with many reportedly marked as “deleted” from the electoral rolls. In Molandi village-- Yasmin’s village -- 428 voters have been deleted.

Accompanying her on the election campaign each day is her neighbour Mosnima Bibi. Incidentally, the names of Mosnima, her husband, and their two daughters have been deleted from the voter list.

“Tamanna was like our own daughter. We will not forgive those who killed her. And we will stand united to fight those who have deleted our names’ ,Mosnima Bibi said.

In the electoral battleground of Bengal, the remote landscape of Kaliganj is emerging as a symbol of an inevitable political reality, raising many unresolved questions. Carrying forward the legacy of the red flag, the CPM candidate is going to the doorsteps of people, explaining the nature and purpose of their campaign.

Amid this outreach, the aspirations of villagers appear to intertwine with long-standing questions, which perhaps find an answer in the campaign led by a ‘martyr’s’ mother.

Rising as early as 5 a.m, Yasmin prepares a simple meal of rice and boiled potatoes before setting out for the day, accompanied by her husband, Hossain Sheikh, and several CPM workers on the campaign trail across villages.

What begins with a small group of supporters gradually transforms into a growing procession. As the campaign moves, villagers join in, inspired by Yasmin’s mother.

During a campaign visit to Nasipur village under the Gobra gram panchayat two days ago, Yasmin became visibly emotional as she spoke about her daughter. “Her (Tamanna) face is always before my eyes”, she said. “If Tamanna were alive today, she would have been happy to see her mother fighting for poor.”

During campaign in villages such Nasipur, Hatkhola, a poignant scene unfolded as some residents stepped out of the homes to greet Yasmin. Many women were seen with tears in their eyes, embracing her.

Rezina Bibi, a resident of Nasipur, said: “We have heard about Tamanna. What can we even say? You are bravely continuing this fight, and people are drawing strength from you.” She added: “There is also fear -- activists from ruling TMC are saying that if we do not vote for them, the Lakhshmir Bhandar (State government sponsored financial help for women scheme) benefits will be stopped.”

“Who will stop it?  These are completely false claims. If Left Front comes to power, the allocation for Lakshmir Bhandar will increase, and there will be no misuse of funds. Is the Chief Minister paying from her own pocket? This is the people’s money”, asserted Yasmin, offering reassurance to villagers.

The Left candidate urged voters not to be swayed by fear or misinformation. “You are free to vote for whomever you choose, but do not let fear or falsehood influence your decision” she said firmly.

Yasmin also clarified that her appeal goes beyond personal loss. “I am not seeking votes merely by invoking Tamanna's memory. To save the state from growing politics of division along religious and cast lines, it is the poor who are bearing the brunt of discrimination must be stopped. The sons and daughters of our homes want to live with dignity through their work. Can life be sustained on allowances alone?” she asked.

Throughout the campaign, Yasmin has been accompanied by Mustakin Sheikh, Adnan Habib, Yasmin Khatun, Nurjahan Mondal, Debojit Acharya, Chandana Haldar, Asan Sheikh. The campaign continues from early morning until late at night.

Rooted firmly to the ground yet driven by a far-reaching vision, Yasmin – the ‘martyr’s mother’- moves forward with determination.

The writer covers the Jangalmahal region for ‘Ganashakti’ newspaper in West Bengal.