Kolkata, October 8 (Daily Kiran) : A suspended Block Development Officer (BDO) from Raiganj, Prashant Barman, has failed to surrender within the 48-hour deadline set by the Calcutta High Court. He is accused of involvement in the murder of a gold trader, Swapan Kamiliya.
Instead of complying with the High Court’s order, Barman has opted to challenge it in the Supreme Court. On October 6, the Calcutta High Court directed that if Barman did not surrender, the process to confiscate his property would commence. The court also instructed the state government to halt his salary payments immediately.
This case has taken a new turn as Barman seeks to contest the High Court’s ruling rather than submit himself to authorities. Last October, he was named the primary suspect in Kamiliya’s kidnapping and murder, but has remained at large since then.
Despite a Supreme Court order in January requiring him to surrender to a lower court, Barman did not comply. He was later arrested in a separate case related to road safety violations, but was granted bail the following day. The state government informed the High Court that Barman’s whereabouts were unknown. Previously, the court had questioned the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding their failure to locate him.
Prashant Barman, who was serving as the BDO in Rajganj at the time, has been evading capture since being identified as the main suspect in the case.
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