In a landmark judgment, the Barasat court on Tuesday awarded the death penalty to eight convicts in the murder of anti-hooch crusader Sourav Chowdhury from Bamangachhi in North 24 Parganas.
In a landmark judgment, the Barasat court on Tuesday awarded the death penalty to eight convicts in the murder of anti-hooch crusader Sourav Chowdhury from Bamangachhi in North 24 Parganas.
Those who were handed capital punishment by seventh additional district judge Daman Prosad Biswas are Shyamal Karmakar, Suman Sarkar, Suman Das, Amal Barui, Ratan Samddar, Tarak Das, Somnath Sardar and Tapas Biswas. Public prosecutor Biplab Roy said, “Their offence amounted to the rarest of the rare crime.” Another murder convict, Rakesh Burman, was given rigorous life imprisonment. The judge has also slapped a fine of '10,000 on him.
Mr Roy added that three others — Shishir Mukherjee, Poly Maity and Ratan Das — who were held guilty of harbouring the murder convicts were awarded five years’ imprisonment by the judge. The judge has imposed a fine of '5,000 on each of them.
On April 15, 12 out of 15 accused were convicted in the case in which Sourav was brutally murdered following his abduction in the early hours of July 5 in 2014 because he had organised a protest against illicit hooch dens run by Shyamal, a local miscreant.
The dismembered body of the 21-year-old student of Mrinalini Dutta College in Birati was later found lying at the railway tracks in between Bamangachhi and Duttapukur stations triggering a statewide uproar.
Out of the 12 accused nine — Shyamal, the main culprit, Suman Sarkar, Suman Das, Amal, Ratan, Tarak, Somnath, Tapas and Rakesh — were convicted under Sections 364 (abduction for murder), 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Among others Shishir, Poly and Ratan were found guilty of Section 212 (harbouring the offenders) of the IPC. One accused, Anup Talukdar, was acquitted for want of evidence while another, Uttam Shikari, turned approver with one more accused, Liton Talukdar, still absconding.
Though the quantum of punishment was scheduled to be announced on April 16 the judge postponed it. He had ruled that he would announce the quantum of punishment on April 19 after the copies of the verdict would be served to all the convicts.
