After activist, killers target nephew

HOWRAH: In a chilling reminder of activist and Trinamool Congress leader Tapan Dutta's murder in May last year, assailants on Thursday evening attacked his nephew Pintu Dhar with choppers - barely 10 metre from where his uncle was murdered. Pintu would have bled to death had not a Kali Puja immersion party chanced upon the injured and unconscious youth and rushed him to the hospital.
Following the attack, Dutta's wife Pratima and brother Dipak said Pintu and other family members were regularly receiving threats ever since the key accused in the murder case was released on bail. Dutta had paid the price for leading a movement against filling up of a wetland in Howrah. While a company had planned to construct a logistics hub by filling up Jaipur Bill, which is a natural drainage basin for four major canals of Howrah, Dutta had single-handedly garnered support against the move.
Among the names that had surfaced in the murder case was that of Trinamool leader Arup Ray, a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. Though his name was mentioned in the initial chargesheet, it was later dropped in a supplementary one submitted by the police. However, his associates Ashish Gayen, Sashti Gayen and Ramesh Mahato were named as key accused.
Thursday's attack took place around 8.40pm near Bally railway level crossing. Recounting the incident from the hospital bed, Pintu said the attack was sudden and unprovoked. "I was on a bike when the assailants attacked me. My pillion rider fled from the spot. Once I fell down and my helmet came off, they began to hit me on the hand and head with sticks and choppers. Soon I lost my consciousness. I would have bled to death but for some people who were taking a Kali idol for immersion. They admitted me to Belur State General Hospital," Dhar said between painful gasps.
On Friday, Pintu's family members lodged a complaint with the Bally police station. "We have initiated a case under section 320 (grievous hurt) and 352 (criminal assault) of the IPC. In the complaint, there has been no mention of any particular person or a group. But we are probing the matter," said deputy commissioner (headquarters) Nishad Parvez, who personally met Pintu at the hospital and recorded his statement.
Dipak said the assailants had targeted Pintu as he did not have police protection unlike the rest of the family. Pratima had earlier moved Calcutta high court, seeking a CBI inquiry into her husband's death and praying for police security as she feared being attacked by her husband's killers. She alleged that the key accused, who were out on bail, had threatened her on the Howrah court premises on July 3 when she was attending the hearing on framing of charges.
"Only a fortnight ago, Pintu had received threat calls saying that he would be punished for lodging a police complaint," said Dipak.
Immediately after the murder of Tapan Dutta, the CID had arrested the then Trinamool district secretary Sasthi Gayen and his brother Asish Gayen. Prior to that, the CID had also arrested Sheti Bapi, a henchman of Gayen brothers, who were engaged in some big land deals. A CID probe had revealed that the brothers were allegedly eyeing the 750-acre Jaipur Bill . Sasthi Gayen was later expelled from the party.
On that fateful evening of May 6, 2011, Tapan was returning home after obtaining permission for a public meeting against the land-filling scheme. As he was crossing the rail tracks at Paschim Shantinagar, two miscreants came and shot him at a point-blank range. The CID was handed the probe, leading to the arrests.
But it did not take a long time for Gayen brothers, who own a petrol pump near Rajchandrapur toll plaza on Durgapur Expressway, to obtain bail. "Ever since, we have been under constant threat," said Dipak.