Shajarur Kanta () is a Bengali mystery novel written by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay in 1967. The murderer kills people using porcupine quills thrust from behind into the heart.
Plot The story starts with the death of a beggar, found dead with a porcupine's quill embedded to his heart. The police initially dismiss any foul play, but when a few more people end up dead in the same way, police are confused. Byomkesh is asked to investigate when a man is injured grievously, but survives the attack.
The man is Debashish Bhatto, a rich businessman, who has recently married Deepa in an arranged marriage. Byomkesh discovers that everything is not what it seems, especially when the gathering at Nripati Laha's allows him to interact with Debashish's friends and Deepa's family. Deepa's past is intricately entwined with her present, threatening to ruin her and Debashish's life.
Characters Byomkesh Bakshi Ajit Bandyopadhyay Satyabati Debashish Bhatto Deepa Bhatto, wife of Debashish Udaymadhab Mukherjee, grandfather of Deepa and Bijoy Neelmadhab Mukherjee, father of Deepa and Bijoy Prabal Gupta, lover of Deepa, musician Sujan Mitra, an actor Nripati Laha Bijoy Madhab Mukherjee, brother of Deepa Kharag Bahadur, footballer Kapil Bose Mother of Deepa and Bijoy Dr. Sen Dr. Gupta
Adaptations
Television This was one of the stories in the 1993 TV series Byomkesh Bakshi, titled "Sahi Ka Kanta". The story was adapted into another TV series in 2014, Byomkesh, which aired on the Bengali channel ETV Bangla.
Film A film of the same name was made in 1974. Another version of the film was made in 2015 with the same name.
Web series This story was adapted for season 3 of the web series Bomkyesh by Anirban Bhattacharya.
Audio story It has been adapted for Sunday Suspense by Radio Mirchi more than once, with the most recent one being in March, 2026.
References