Malda: Nine years after a gruesome daylight murder shook Angarmoni village in the Harishchandrapur Police Station area, justice was finally delivered. Additional District Judge of Chanchal ADJ Court, Surajit Dey, sentenced 16 persons to life imprisonment on Tuesday in connection with the brutal killing of Bhabotosh Saha over the temple land dispute.
The incident took place in broad daylight when Bhabotosh Saha was allegedly lured from his home under the pretext of a discussion and was later hacked to death on the road.
His cousin brother, Purna Saha, narrowly escaped the attack and later became a key witness. A total of 19 individuals were named in the chargesheet, including a Kolkata Police officer and a practicing lawyer.
Two of the accused died during the course of the trial, while one woman, Rebati Das, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The 16 include Indrajit Das, Rantu Kumar Das, Kanti Das, Anup Kumar Das, Sunil Das, Dilip Das, Krishna Das, Jagadish Das, Satyabrata Das, Pandab Das, Khorgo Das, Chandan Das, Lalu Das, Haradhan Das, Bapi Das and Mrinmoy Das. The court sentenced the 16 to life imprisonment under Section 302 of the IPC and a fine of Rs 5000. Failure to pay the imposed fine would result in another year of imprisonment.
The judge described the incident as “barbaric” in his ruling. Lalita Devi, the widow of the deceased, stated: “I fought for justice with my only son. I would have been happier if they were sentenced to death, but we accept the court’s decision.
They brutally murdered my husband and threatened us for years. Now we can finally live in peace.”
Purna Saha, the victim’s brother, added: “I witnessed the murder with my own eyes and barely escaped. Today, with this verdict, I believe my brother’s soul will finally rest in peace.”