Bengal: Calcutta HC Orders CBI Probe into Cong Councillor’s Murder, Eyewitness Found Dead

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has fixed a time frame of 45 days to complete the CBI probe that it has ordered into the killing of Congress councillor Tapan Kandu of Jhalda municipality.

It may be recalled that Kandu’s wife, Purnima, who is also a councillor, had said she had lost all faith in the state police force which had been carrying out “lacklustre” probe into the incident , alleging that influential bigwigs from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the  local inspector in charge of Jhalda police station were directly involved in delaying matters.

Incidentally, according to a PTI report, a key eye-witness in Kandu's murder was found dead on Wednesday morning in West Bengal's Purulia district, as per the police.

The body of Niranjan Baishnab, a close associate of Kandu, was found hanging from the ceiling in his house in Jhalda's Baishabpara, they said.

A note purportedly written by Baishanb, a teacher, was recovered from the room where his body was found, a police officer said.

"We have sent the body for post mortem. We are investigating the matter," he said.

Meawhile, Justice Rajashekhar Mantha  of the HC on Monday  ordered a CBI probe saying the state police probe had failed to  advance the probe in the right direction .

It may be recalled that on March 13 night, Kandu was shot dead at point blank range. After the murder, the role of some influential TMC bigwigs was under the scanner.

On Tuesday, high-decibel protests were held in Jhalda when the process of formation of the new board was going on. Both TMC and Congress won five seats each in the municipal elections. The probe by the Purulia district police allegedly tried to shield the main culprits and tried to establish that Kandu was killed due to a family feud.

On Tuesday,  the board of the newly  elected  Jhalda  municipality was formed  amid street protests across  the town. After the murder of the councillor, the TMC managed to form the municipal board.

A heavily distraught Purnima on Tuesday alleged that her husband was murdered to clear the way of TMC forming and controlling the board. 

Commenting on the incident, CPI(M) district secretary Pradip Roy said this sort murder politics was not welcome and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe.

Purnima Kandu thanked the court for its order and said she was now hopeful that the real culprits would be arrested. She alleged that the police and some TMC leaders were directly involved in the incident, and denied any family feud, as being projected by TMC.

The superintendent of the district police should also be interrogated, she demanded.

Purnima Kandu has  named seven persons name in the FIR lodged with the police, including the station in-charge (IC) In two purported viral audio clips , the role of the IC has been questioned  whereby he is purportedly heard putting pressure on the slain councillor to join the TMC.  In another audio clip, the IC is purportedly heard trying to get a blank paper signed by the slain councillor’s wife.

Eyewitness in Councillor's Murder Found Dead

Purulia:  An eye-witness in Congress councillor Tapan Kandu's murder was found dead on Wednesday morning in West Bengal's Purulia district, police said, as per PTI.

The body of Niranjan Baishnab, a close associate of Kandu, was found hanging from the ceiling in his house in Jhalda's Baishabpara, they said.

A note purportedly written by Baishanb, a teacher, was recovered from the room where his body was found, a police officer said.

In the note, Baishnab purportedly claimed that he was under severe stress because of repeated phone calls from the police in connection with the murder of Kandu.

I have been under mental stress since the day I saw Tapan's death. The scene of his death is coming back to my mind every moment. The mental stress is aggravated by the repeated calls from the police," said the note.

"I had never visited any police station in my life. This is becoming unbearable. I have taken this decision on my own and no one has forced me to take my life," it added.

Baishnab's body was found on a day the Congress called a 12-hour bandh in Jhalda over Kandu's killing, and TMC forming the civic board in the town.

The CBI is scheduled to reach Jhalda on Wednesday to take over the investigation into the murder, following the direction of the Calcutta High Court.

Kandu was shot dead on March 13 while he was out on an evening walk near his residence.

He had won ward number two of Jhalda Municipality for the fourth time in the civic polls held in February and was a popular leader in the area.

The verdict of the voters threw up a hung board in Jhalda Municipality, with the Congress and Trinamool Congress having won five seats each and Independents securing two seats.

(Inputs from PTI)