Kolkata, August 4: A contract killer accused in the 2022 murder of Congress councilor Tapan Kandu has died while undergoing treatment at the Purulia Government Medical College and Hospital. Police shared this information on Tuesday.
The accused, Kalebar Singh (58), had been in judicial custody since his arrest in April 2022.
On Tuesday morning, an investigation report was prepared in the presence of a magistrate. The post-mortem of the body is scheduled for Wednesday, after which it will be handed over to the family.
According to police, Kalebar Singh had been incarcerated in the Purulia District Correctional Home since his arrest. He had been suffering from illness for an extended period and had been admitted to Purulia Medical College for nearly four months.
Kalebar’s wife, Pratima Devi, stated, “My husband has been ill for a long time. He was taken to several hospitals for treatment. We applied for bail in court, but it was not granted. I do not know if my husband committed the murder or not, but I have no complaints against anyone.”
The murder of Tapan Kandu on March 13, 2022, sparked significant political controversy in West Bengal. This incident occurred shortly after the Jhalda municipal elections, where both Congress and the Trinamool Congress secured five seats each in the 12-member body. The situation became politically significant when an independent councilor supported Congress, creating a possibility for the party to form the municipal board.
Kandu was shot dead while out for a morning walk with friends. The initial investigation was conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government, which was later handed over to the CBI under the direction of the Calcutta High Court.
In its charge sheet filed in June 2022, the CBI named five accused: Deepak Kandu, Kalebar Singh, Naren Kandu, Mohammad Ashik, and Satyawan Pramanik. Two of these accused have died during the proceedings. Satyawan Pramanik passed away in November 2023 due to illness, while Kalebar Singh became the second accused to die before the trial’s conclusion. Naren Kandu and Deepak Kandu are currently out on bail granted by the Calcutta High Court.
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