Tea garden manager murder case: Acted in self-defense, claims arrested worker
Siliguri: A twist emerged in the murder case of Nilanjan Bhadra, the senior assistant manager of Jayantika Tea Garden, Bidhannagar in Phansidewa.
Elthrus Ekka, who was arrested in the case, claimed that he had acted in self-defense. Ekka, a Sardar (workers’ leader) at the tea garden, alleged that Bhadra had orchestrated a plot to get him killed.
Ekka, while being taken to Siliguri Court on Friday stated in front of the media: “The manager had tried to kill me by paying Rs 70,000 to a contract killer but before that, I killed him.” He confessed to have fatally struck Bhadra on the neck with a sharp weapon during a heated altercation, claiming he was intoxicated at the time. Elthrus was produced in court on Friday and sent to judicial custody. The body of 45-year-old Nilanjan was discovered on Thursday afternoon in the tea garden, bearing severe injuries. Following the discovery of the body, a tense atmosphere gripped the tea garden, with workers gathering at the scene. When police had started questioning the workers, Elthrus Ekka confessed to the crime to police and was immediately apprehended.
The murder weapon was later recovered from the tea garden. A forensic team from Jalpaiguri collected samples from the crime scene. The post-mortem of the body was done on Friday at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
Ekka told the police that Bhadra had been assigning him excessive workloads, creating a significant burden. He further alleged that Bhadra had paid Rs 70,000 to an unidentified individual to kill him. On the day of the incident, Ekka, who was intoxicated, engaged in a conversation with Bhadra, which escalated into a violent altercation. He then struck Bhadra with a sharp weapon he had in his hand, said a source.
However, Praveen Prakash, the Superintendent of Police (SP) Darjeeling said: “He confessed that he killed him in a fit of rage. However, he has been narrating different stories to different people.
We have to check all the facts and figures. The actual cause of the murder will be known after a detailed investigation.”
