Two cops convicted for custodial death

While Biswas has granted two years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000,failing which he would have to spend six more months in correctional home,the court awarded four years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 to Das. If Das fails to pay the fine,he will have to spend a year more in correctional home.

Justice Indranath Chatterjee acquitted two other police officers — the then sub-inspector Anil Tarafdar and his assistant Srimanta Banerjee — who too were named as accused in the case.

The incident dates back to February 18,2002,when police picked up 32-year-old Nitai Das from his Madhabbati residence in Singur for allegedly stealing cash from a shop in Howrah.

The police officers of Bally police station allegedly beat him up in the lock-up. Four days after he was sent in police custody by a Howrah court on February 2,Kuntal’s body was found hanging from the ceiling of the lock-up and was full of injury marks. While the police claimed that Kuntal had committed suicide,his family alleged that he had died of police torture and his body was hanged by the police to show that he had committed suicide.

Later,the victim’ mother Ashoka Das filed a case with the Howrah CJM Court. The court then issued an arrest warrant against the four police officers who later sought anticipatory bail that was granted to them.

Ashoka,however,didn’t budge and filed a petition against the bail in the Calcutta High Court. The High Court cancelled the bail granted to the accused. The police officers then moved Supreme Court but without any success.

The High Court,meanwhile,directed the policemen to surrender before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Howrah and apply for a fresh bail petition. In 2005,they surrendered before the Howrah district court and were remanded in judicial custody.

Inmate commits suicide
A 28-year-old inmate of the Alipore Correctional Home allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of a godown located inside the premises on Tuesday.

According to a senior jail official,Ucharan Roy,a resident of Burdwan Town,had been convicted in a murder case on July 17,2008,and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Ucharan had murdered his colleague with whom his wife allegedly had an affair. He used to work in a hotel in Burdwan.

On August 18,2008,he was shifted to Alipore Central Jail. After his conviction,he used to remain depressed over wasting his life and career. He was put in a cell in ward number 2 of the correctional home.

On Monday night,he reportedly refused to eat food and told the other inmates that he would commit suicide. Late in the night,he attempted to go out of the ward,but was caught by an officer. While others thought that he was trying to flee,Roy said he wanted to go to ward number 8,claimed a jail official. Ward number 8 has a press where the victim used to work.

“In the morning after all inmates were allowed to go out of their wards,he went to the press. After working for about half an hour he went inside the godown and hanged himself to death. Initially,we thought he had fled but later Badal Das,another inmate,found him hanging,” said Kumaresh Roy,Superintendent of Alipore Central Jail.