Calcutta High Court orders CBI probe into Congress councillor’s murder

Tapan Kandu was shot dead by assailants on March 13 in Jhalda.

The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into Congress councillor Tapan Kandu’s murder. Kundu was murdered in West Bengal’s Jhalda, in Purulia district. He was a Congress councillor of Jhalda municipality.

A single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha asked the Central agency to submit a report on the investigation within 45 days. The court directed the investigation to be transferred from the West Bengal Police to the CBI. Kandu was shot dead by assailants on March 13 while he was on an evening walk at Jhalda near his residence.

West Bengal Police, while probing the case had said that Rs 7 lakh was given to the killers by Kundu’s brother Naren, who has been arrested. Naren was said by police to be the prime suspect and that the murder was the reason for a family dispute and not related to politics. Naren’s son Dipak, had contested the civic polls on Trinamool ticket and has also been arrested in the case. He had contested against his uncle and lost.

The Congress and Tapan Kandu’s family had been demanding a CBI probe, and have accused local Trinamool and police. Kandu’s widow, Purnima, had moved court seeking CBI probe. She alleged that her husband was being forced by the Trinamool to join the party after the civic poll results led to a hung board.

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