Chief Minister Pays Tribute to Netai Martyrs, Recalls Tragic January 7, 2011 Incident

Remembrance of the Netai massacre underscores a painful chapter in Bengal’s history and the subsequent legal and humanitarian response

Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, January 7, 2026, Kolkata : You surely remember the horrific day of January 7, 2011. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister recalled that tragic moment while paying homage to the victims through her post on the social media platform X. In her message, she wrote, “I pay my humble respects and tributes to the immortal martyrs of Netai,” reaffirming her remembrance of the lives lost in one of the most disturbing incidents in recent political history of the state.

On January 7, 2011, nine villagers were killed and several others sustained serious injuries in Netai, located in the Jhargram area, following firing allegedly carried out by armed cadres of the CPI(M). The incident sent shockwaves across the state and drew widespread condemnation, triggering demands for justice and accountability.

In the aftermath of the massacre, a significant legal step was taken on January 10, 2011. Acting on a resolution adopted at a meeting of the then executive committee of the High Court Bar Association, its then Vice-President, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, along with the Joint Secretary, Sanjay Bardhan, filed a public interest litigation. The petition sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Netai killings and demanded financial assistance for the families of those who were killed as well as for the injured victims.

Responding to the petition, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, comprising the then Chief Justice Jaynarayan Patel and Justice Asim Kumar Roy, on February 18, 2011, directed that the investigation into the Netai incident be handed over to the CBI. The court also passed orders regarding compensation for the victims, directing that ₹2 lakh be paid to the families of each deceased person, ₹1 lakh to those who were seriously injured and ₹50,000 to those who had suffered less severe injuries.

Although the then Left Front government challenged the High Court’s compensation order in the Supreme Court, the country’s apex court upheld the decision, thereby reinforcing the judicial directive for relief to the affected families.

Subsequently, after assuming office in July 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took additional steps to support the victims. Her government provided an enhanced compensation of ₹5 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives and extended financial assistance to the seriously injured, further underlining the state’s commitment to standing by the victims of the Netai tragedy.

The remembrance of Netai continues to serve as a solemn reminder of the human cost of political violence and the importance of justice, accountability and compassion in governance.