Chinsurah: The Hooghly District Court on Thursday has sentenced seven individuals to death and one to seven years in prison for the murder of Bishnu Mal, a 23-year-old resident of Chinsurah, over a love triangle. Judge Shivshankar Ghosh of the First Fast Track Court pronounced the verdict.
The murder took place on October 11, 2020, when Bishnu Mal was abducted by Bishal Das, a notorious criminal, and his seven accomplices. Bishal reportedly had an interest in Bishnu's girlfriend and threatened him before the incident. Bishnu was killed in a house in the Chapdani area, where his body was dismembered into six pieces.
The accused took photographs of the murder and disposed of the body parts in various water bodies in Sheoraphuli and Baidyabati. Bishnu’s severed head was later recovered by West Bengal police from the Baidyabati canal, along with other body parts. His identity was confirmed through a tattoo on his hand bearing his girlfriend's name.
After the murder, Bishal Das went into hiding but was apprehended on November 3, 2020, in the Jibantala police station area after locals caught him firing at people. During interrogation, Bishal disclosed the locations of the body parts and led the police to the other accused. Sheikh Mintu, one of the accomplices, turned approver in the case and was acquitted by the court.
On November 25, the Chinsurah court convicted all eight accused in the case. Judge Shivshankar Ghosh announced the quantum of punishment on November 28. Seven of the convicts — Bishal Das, Ramakrishna Mondal, Rathin Singh, Rajkumar Pramanik, Ratan Bapari, Binod Das, and Biplob Biswas — received the death penalty. Mantu Ghosh, the eighth convict, was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Government lawyer Bibhas Chatterjee described the case as "rarest of the rare" and lauded the judiciary for delivering justice. "It was a struggle of almost three-and-a-half years. We were able to convince the court of the brutality of the case, leading to the death sentences," Chatterjee said.
Bishnu's mother Kunti Mal said, "This is the month of my son's birth. And this is the month the court sentenced the culprit for murder. This has given us confidence in the law."
Chandannagar Police Commissioner Amit P. Javalgi said, "The officer in charge of this case was Tamal Mohanty. He did a good job in this case. First, Bishnu's girlfriend informed the family that Bishal had abducted Bishnu. Then, based on the family's complaint, a case was registered. The police of Chinsurah police station and the police of the commissionerate did a good job together."
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