Niranjan Baishnab’s family members in Jhalda. Partha Paul HE WAS called to the police station almost every day, made to stay there hours, pressured to sign documents, while his mobile phone remains missing since his death. These are some of the charges made in the FIR filed by the family of Niranjan Baishnab, eyewitness to the murder of Congress councillor Tapan Kandu, and who allegedly took his own life on April 6.
Following the FIR, Baishnab’s death is being probed for abetment to suicide. His family, which lives in Baishnabpara area of Jhalda in Purulia district, said the 49-year-old teacher was troubled since police began questioning him and that he took his life “under pressure”.
This is also stated in a purported suicide note recovered near his body which was hanging from the ceiling of his one-room house.
“Police used to call him for questioning almost every day. It would go on for hours. Police pressured him to make a false statement,” alleged Baishnab’s nephew Dipak, seeking a CBI probe.
On April 7, the CBI took over the probe into the killing of Kandu, following a Calcutta High Court order. The Congress councillor was with Baishnab and four others when he was shot on March 13 near his residence.
Soon after, the TMC took control of the Jhalda municipality which had thrown up a hung verdict in the February elections. Kandu had won from a ward there for the fourth time.
Police have arrested four men in connection with Kandu’s murder: his distant relative Naren Kandu, Naren’s son Dipak Kandu, both local TMC leaders; Jharkhand-based alleged contract killer Kalebar Singh and local resident Asif Khan.
Before the Kandu case went to the CBI, Purulia police claimed the killing was the result of a “family dispute” and had nothing to do with politics.
In the Baishnab case, it was his brother Nepal who lodged a complaint with police – it was later converted to an FIR.
In the complaint, Nepal wrote that Baishnab was “panic stricken” because of the police questioning. “We suspect the police were forcing him to say or write something against his wish. What is more surprising is that his mobile phone has gone missing.”
The purported suicide note states: “I have been under mental stress since the day I saw Tapan’s death. The scene of his death comes back to my mind every moment. The mental stress is aggravated by the repeated calls from police. I had never visited a police station in my life. This is becoming unbearable.”
Denying any police pressure, Purulia SP S Selvamurugan said Baishnab was depressed due to Kandu’s death and even cited the note recovered from the room.
“Police called him only once or twice, that too just for the inquiry. That is the process. He claimed (in the note) that he had never visited a police station earlier… In his suicide note, there is no mention of police pressure. Where has he alleged that police pressured him? Where is that allegation by him? In the last line (of the note), he has written that no one is responsible for his death,” Selvamurugan said.
He said they had no choice. “An incident happened. He (Baishnab) was near the spot, so he was questioned about it. How do you think the police would work?” he said.
The Congress, which held a protest and observed a ‘black day’ over the TMC seizing power in the Jhalda civic body with the help of two Independents, has accused police of fabricating the probe into Kandu’s murder.
Former Congress MLA and senior leader Nepal Mahato said: “Under pressure from all sides, they made arrests. We believe those were made to cover up tracks. Now eyewitnesses are being pressured to make false statements and identify the same as the killers. This may have been the reason Baishnab took his life.”
Kandu’s wife Purnima, who had also won in the civic polls, from Ward 11, recently got police protection — almost a month after the murder. Sitting before a portrait of Kandu, Purnima, 40, blamed TMC leaders and police for her husband’s death.
She named Naren Kandu, his son Dipak Kandu – already arrested – and a third person. While Dipak had lost the election against Tapan Kandu from Ward 2, the wife of the third person she named had lost against her. She alleged that the trio she named, along with the Inspector in Charge (IC) of Jhalda police station, were responsible for Kandu’s death.
“The IC had been pressuring my husband to join the TMC, which he refused,” she alleged, adding that she was happy that the CBI would probe the matter. “I have asked them to arrest the IC and seize his mobile phone.”
The IC was not available for comment despite repeated attempts – his mobile phone was switched off.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said it was the Congress that had hatched a conspiracy with the BJP and CPM to “malign the image of the state government”.
“When the CBI knocks at the door of Congress leaders, then the party says it is political vendetta. But when it acts against the Mamata Banerjee government, then it supports the Central investigation agency. The Congress should shun its double standards. If anyone is guilty, they should be punished. But that does not mean the CBI should be the one to do this as it has a very bad record,” Ghosh said.
The Jhalda incident is the latest political violence case in the state, with TMC leaders named in the matter. In February, student leader Anis Khan, who had taken on the government, died under suspicious circumstances as police visited his house to arrest him. On March 13, TMC councillor Anupam Dutta was shot dead by miscreants. Both cases are being probed by SITs.
On March 22, eight persons were killed at Bogtui village in Rampurhat after a mob set houses on fire following the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. The case, said to be the result of intra-TMC rivalry, is being probed by the CBI.
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