Kolkata: The three accused in the Panihati Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor, Anupam Dutta, who were held guilty on Monday, have been awarded life imprisonment by the Barrackpore Court on Wednesday.
In addition to the punishment, the trio has been slapped with a fine of Rs one lakh each.
Anupam, who was the councillor of ward 8 of Panihati Municipality, was shot dead by a miscreant on March 13, 2022, on Agarpara Station Road near his residence. Within a few hours, the shooter, identified as Amit Pandit, was arrested. Later, police arrested two more accused, identified as Bapi Pandit and Jiarul Mondal, who were involved in the conspiracy.
During the investigation, it was learnt that Bapi had approached a miscreant initially, who subsequently refused to kill Anupam. Later, Amit was hired by Bapi.
On September 30, 2022, charges were framed against all three accused. While Amit was booked under sections 302 IPC (murder) along with 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, Bapi and Mondal were booked for murder and criminal conspiracy. Though Bapi was granted bail by the Calcutta High Court during the month of August in 2022, he was taken into custody immediately after the court held him guilty on Monday.
On Wednesday, Anupam’s wife, Minakshi Dutta, reportedly expressed her satisfaction over the quantum of punishment.