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Story: Soumyava Goswami
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After the world was freed from the terrifying phase of lockdown and the coronavirus, people were still struggling to recover from its after-effects. Just then arrived Bengal’s greatest festival — Durga Puja. With the arrival of the Goddess, people began to forget their sorrows and embraced joy once more. Everyone believed Maa Durga had brought happiness, blessings, and prosperity with her. “Now, nothing bad will happen. From now on, everything will be good,” people told themselves with hope.
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On Shashthi, the first day of the festivities, the streets overflowed with crowds. Laughter and excitement replaced despair and gloom. But just then, tragedy struck.
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In one single night, five priests from Kolkata’s biggest puja pandals were murdered on their way home after rituals. No one knew why. Fear and disbelief spread like wildfire: “Who could kill priests during Puja?”
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The Chief Minister immediately ordered the police to capture the killers and ensure no further incidents disrupted the festival. Police from multiple jurisdictions launched investigations, but conflicting working styles created confusion. With no progress, panic grew across the city. Citizens feared visiting pandals: “What if we too are attacked like the priests?” The entire nation began asking the same chilling question: “Why were the priests killed?”
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Initial inquiries revealed the murdered priests had no known enemies, no interlinked conflicts. Their families confirmed they had lived peaceful lives. Then who killed them, and why during Puja?
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When 24 hours passed without an arrest, the case was handed over to the CBI. At midnight, Nizam Palace, the CBI headquarters, came alive. Branch head Rahul Sharma declared a red alert and summoned his top officers: forensic specialist Rima Dutta and her assistant Kuntal Roy, technical head Aditya Roy and assistant Priya Dey, senior officers Vinay Sarkar, Mohit Dubey, and Amir Ali.
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Rahul addressed them gravely:
“By now, you all know — five priests were murdered last night. This is no ordinary crime. There is planning behind this, possibly even terrorism. What do you think?”
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Vinay said, “During Puja, the city is crowded. Terrorists usually carry out bomb blasts then — killing hundreds at once. But here, only priests were targeted. Why?”
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Rima suggested, “It could be the work of an anti-Hindu extremist group. Killing those directly linked with the religion.”
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Amir added, “But then why only priests? Every devotee is religious. Killing the crowd would have been easier.”
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Everyone nodded thoughtfully.
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Rahul divided the work: Rima to examine the bodies, Aditya to scan national and international databases, Vinay-Amir-Mohit to comb through CCTV footage.
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Results came in two hours later.
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Rima: “All victims weren’t killed by the same person — different patterns suggest multiple killers.”
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Aditya: “No match in databases. No record of priest-killers worldwide.”
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Vinay: “Nearby CCTV cameras were deliberately shut down moments before each murder.”
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Rahul grew tense. For now, he ordered tight security for every pandal and 24/7 police protection for priests. Yet one question haunted all: “Who wants to stop worship by killing worshippers of God?”
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Fifteen Years Ago…
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In a small district lived a boy named Rishi. From birth, he was different from others — calm, quiet, thoughtful. Unlike other children, he never fought for toys or sweets. He spent his days in silence, often sitting under the big neem tree in his village, staring at the sky. His father was a farmer, his mother a homemaker. They loved him, but his silence troubled them.
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“Why doesn’t our son talk like others?” they worried. Doctors assured them Rishi was healthy. He simply had an unusual temperament.
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At school, Rishi had no friends. He never laughed or joined games. Classmates teased him as “mad.” He ignored them. Only one teacher, Ananya Madam, believed in him. She often said, “This boy is special. He thinks deeper than his age.”
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Rishi’s world revolved around questions. He always asked, “Why is God invisible? Why can’t we see Him if He is everywhere?” Priests, teachers, and even his parents failed to satisfy his curiosity.
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One day during Durga Puja, while the entire village celebrated, Rishi wandered into the temple and asked the priest:
“Does Maa Durga really exist? If She exists, why can’t I see Her with my eyes?”
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The priest, shocked, scolded him:
“Blasphemy! How dare you question the Goddess?”
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The crowd beat Rishi and dragged him out. His parents were humiliated. From that day, villagers branded him “atheist.”
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But inside Rishi, questions only grew stronger.
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The Tragedy
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One night, while returning from the fields, Rishi’s father collapsed with a heart attack. The poor family begged the village priest to pray for his life. The priest performed rituals, chanting loudly: “Maa Durga will save him.” But Rishi’s father died before dawn.
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Young Rishi stood frozen. His mother wept helplessly. That night, sitting by his father’s body, Rishi whispered to himself:
“If God cannot save my father, then God is dead.”
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That single thought took root in his heart, burning like fire.
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Years passed. Rishi grew into a young man. He studied science and philosophy secretly, reading everything he could about atheism. He concluded: “God doesn’t exist. And those who worship Him are fools.”
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But his hatred didn’t stop there. He began to believe priests — the ones who preach false hopes — were liars who exploited the weak. “They sell lies in the name of God,” he thought. Slowly, obsession consumed him.
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Rishi decided: to prove to the world that God is dead, he must eliminate God’s representatives — the priests.
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Back to the Present
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The CBI investigation deepened. Rima found strange symbols carved on the bodies of the priests — a circle with a cross inside. Aditya traced it to an underground atheist cult spreading across the internet: “The Death of God Movement.”
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Further digging revealed a mastermind — a man named Rishi Sen, missing for the past five years. Last seen traveling across states, leaving behind a trail of small-scale temple vandalism, but never murder.
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Now, during Bengal’s grandest festival, he had escalated his war. His followers — young, brainwashed men — were carrying out his mission: to kill priests and declare to the world that God is dead.
The Final Question
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Rahul and his team realized they weren’t chasing random killers, but a dangerous ideology led by a ruthless man. If Rishi wasn’t stopped, more priests would die, faith would shatter, and chaos would engulf the city.
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But Rishi was no ordinary criminal. He was brilliant, calculating, and believed his mission was holy — a holy war against God Himself.
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And thus began the deadliest manhunt of Kolkata’s history.
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and then Add to home screen.