The Calcutta High Court on Monday asked the CBI to probe the murder of Congress councillor Tapan Kandu.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the West Bengal Police to hand over all official records of the investigation to the CBI immediately. It told the CBI to file its final report before the Court within a month.
This is the second instance in the past ten days of the Calcutta High Court displaying lack of faith in the investigation carried out by the West Bengal police. On March 25 , a Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj had directed the CBI to probe the massacre at Bogtui Village in Birbhum where nine persons , including seven women and a child, were burnt to death on March 21.
Tapan Kandu was killed on March 13 at Jhalda Muncipality, days after the civic body election threw up a hung result. His wife Purnima Kandu had approached the Calcutta High Court demanding a CBI probe. Police had arrested a number of accused, including Trinamool Congress councillor Naren Kandu, the brother of the deceased. But Purnima Kandu had alleged that the Officer-in-Charge of Jhalda Police station Sanjib Ghosh had been pressuring her husband to join the Trinamool Congress. In an audio clip of an alleged conversation between the Officer-in-Charge and a relative of Tapan Kandu, the officer is heard asking the Congress councilor to switch sides.
On Sunday, Superintendent of Police, Purulia, S. Selvamurugan described the murder as “ family dispute” and ruled out the involvement of the Officer-in-Charge in the crime.
After the order on Monday, Purnima Kandu expressed the hope that the central agency would arrest the culprits responsible for her husband’s murder.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh wondered why the Court had ordered a CBI probe when the State police had made several arrests. Congress and BJP leaders welcomed the order and said the police officer was trying to ensure that the Trinamool Congress got control of the civic board.
