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HC orders CBI probe into Bengal Congress councillor’s murder
The Calcutta high court (HC) on Monday ordered a probe by CBI into the murder of Congress councillor Tapan Kandu, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in West Bengal’s Purulia district on March 13.
The Calcutta high court on Monday ordered a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the murder of Congress councillor Tapan Kandu, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in West Bengal’s Purulia district on March 13.
A single bench of justice Rajasekhar Mantha passed the order on a plea by Purnima Kandu, the widow of the councillor, and directed the central agency to submit a report within 45 days.
The court also made strong observations against police’s claim that an amount of ₹7 lakh was paid to a contractual killer by the deceased’s brother, Naren, who was arrested on Saturday. Naren is the prime suspect and the murder was the fallout of an old family feud not related to politics, Purulia district superintendent of police (SP) S Selvamurugan said on Sunday.
Both Purnima and Congress district unit president, Nepal Mahato, however, ruled out any dispute between Tapan and Naren. Purnima, in her plea, accused Jhalda police station inspector-in-charge Sanjib Ghosh of pressuring her husband to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as Jhalda had witnessed a hung municipality in the February 27 civic elections.
Selvamurugan ruled out Ghosh’s involvement in the case.
Both the Congress and TMC won five seats each, while two seats were wrested by independent candidates in the municipal polls. The deceased’s nephew, Dipak Kandu, had contested against the former on a TMC ticket. Dipak lost the elections.
Dipak was the first person to be arrested in connection with the murder case on March 15. So far, four people have been arrested.
While passing the order on Monday afternoon, justice Mantha observed that the murder was linked to politics and sought to know why the allegations against Ghosh were not probed, lawyers who attended the hearing said.
The court also took note of an audio clip of a purported conversation between Ghosh and a relative of the victim, and said both the phones should have been seized and examined by police.
Tapan was shot dead by unidentified assailants while he was out on a walk with friends on March 13. Five personnel of Purulia district police were confined to their barracks on March 20 on charges of dereliction of duty.
Both the Congress and Tapan Kandu’s family had earlier sought a court-monitored CBI probe, alleging links between local TMC leaders and police.
Welcoming the high court order, Purnima said: “I am grateful to the Calcutta high court. A lot of influential people and TMC leaders were involved in my husband’s murder. The police were shielding them. I want the guilty to be hanged.”
“Our party and all residents of Jhalda welcome the court’s order. The CBI will unravel the truth,” Mahato said.
TMC Rajya Sabha member Shantanu Sen said: “This is not the first time a court has ordered a CBI probe, though the Supreme Court had once questioned the neutrality of the CBI and called it a caged parrot.”
TMC councillor from Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, Anupam Dutta, was also shot in the head from close range by unidentified men on March 13. He was visiting a park on North Station Road in Agarpara when the incident took place. He was declared brought dead by doctors in the hospital.
