Kolkata, Aug 4 (IANS) A contract killer accused in the 2022 murder of Tapan Kandu, a Congress councillor of Jhalda Municipality in West Bengal’s Purulia district, has died while undergoing treatment at Purulia Government Medical College and Hospital, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, Kalebar Singh (58), had been in judicial custody since his arrest in April 2022.

Following his death, an inquest report was conducted in the presence of a magistrate on Tuesday morning. The autopsy of the body will be done on Wednesday. Then the body will be handed over to the family.

According to police, Kalebar Singh was lodged in the Purulia District Correctional Facility since his arrest in April, 2022. However, he had been suffering from physical illness for a long time. He was admitted to Purulia Medical College for about the last four months.

Kalebar’s wife Pratima Devi said, “My husband was ill for a long time. He was taken to several hospitals for treatment. We placed an application for bail before the court, but it was not granted. I don’t know whether my husband committed murder or not. But I have no complaint against anyone.”

The murder of Tapan Kandu on March 13, 2022, triggered a major political controversy in West Bengal. The killing took place shortly after a hung verdict in the Jhalda Municipality elections, where Congress and the Trinamool Congress secured five seats each in the 12-member civic body. The situation turned politically significant after an Independent councillor extended support to Congress, potentially enabling the party to form the municipal board.

Kandu was shot dead by assailants while on a morning walk with friends. The case was initially investigated by an SIT constituted by the state government before being handed over to the CBI on the directions of the Calcutta High Court.

In its chargesheet filed in June 2022, the CBI named five accused — Deepak Kandu, Kalebar Singh, Naren Kandu, Mohammad Ashiq and Satyavan Pramanik. Two of the accused have since died during the course of proceedings. Satyavan Pramanik died in November 2023 due to illness, while Singh became the second accused in the case to die before the conclusion of the trial. Naren Kandu and Deepak Kandu are currently out on bail granted by the Calcutta High Court.

–IANS

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