Eyewitness in Bengal Congress councillor’s murder found hanging

Baishnab, who resided in Jhalda town’s Baishnabpara area, was a close associate of Kandu.

In the note purportedly written by him, Baishnab, a teacher, said he was under severe stress because of repeated phone calls from the police in connection with Kandu’s murder. “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. 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 reads.

The police have registered an FIR over Baishnab’s death.

The deceased person’s brother, Dipak, said: “The police would summon my brother to the station for questioning. There, they would mentally torture him. They also pressured him to make a suitable eyewitness statement to suppress facts.”

Family members also said Baishnab’s mobile phone is missing.

Kandu was shot dead on March 13 when he was out for an evening walk near his residence. Baishnab was with him at this time.
Kandu had won from ward number 2 of the Jhalda Municipality for the fourth time in the civic polls held in February. The verdict threw up a hung board in the municipality, with the Congress and Trinamool Congress winning five seats each and Independents securing two seats.

The TMC Tuesday came to power in the civic body with the help of two independent candidates. The development came one day after the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into Kandu’s death.

Baishnab’s brother said: “The police have sent the body for post-mortem. Once the report arrives, we will get to know more details.”
Baishnab’s body was found on a day the Congress had called a 12-hour bandh in Jhalda over Kandu’s killing and TMC forming the civic board in the town.

Following the Calcutta High Court order, a CBI team reached Jhalda Wednesday and took over the investigation into the murder of Kandu. The central agency is learnt to have filed an FIR over the incident.

Meanwhile, the Congress observed its 12-hour bandh. Senior Congress leader Nepal Mahato said: “The mobile phone of the key eyewitness has gone missing after his death. We are suspecting that someone has done it deliberately to hide the real truth or to delete the call details of the persons who had called him before his death. If the CBI had come yesterday then this could have been avoided.”

The ruling TMC accused the Congress of joining hands with the BJP in creating a “false narrative” about lawlessness in West Bengal.

“Any death is unfortunate, but the way the TMC and the state police are being blamed for every incident of violence is unacceptable. We condemn violence. First of all, the murder case of Tapan Kandu is being investigated by the CBI. But still, the Congress and the Opposition are trying to put the blame on the TMC,” said TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh.

“The Congress has joined hands with the BJP to create a false narrative about lawlessness in an attempt to malign the state government. But when the same CBI knocks at the door of Congress leaders, they oppose it,” added the TMC leader.

BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said the party demanded a CBI inquiry as the state police have turned into “cadres of the ruling TMC”.

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