Kolkata court frees murder accused after 8 yrs in jail

KOLKATA: A Kolkata court acquitted last week a 31-year-old man who spent eight years behind bars for the murder of a friend, sharply criticising police for failing to send key evidence for forensic testing and mishandling the investigation.

Kolkata resident Raja Paik , arrested in Sept 2017 for the murder of 24-year-old Chiranjib Gupta in the city, was cleared Thursday by Alipore sessions judge Surajit Mandal.

Chiranjib's mother said in the police complaint that her son - a drug addict and habitual drunkard - was found dead with a pillow on his face on the first floor of their two-storey home at Eastend Park in Garfa area when she returned home at 6.30pm after buying medicine for her daughter. Her daughter, returning from school at 3pm, said Chiranjib had opened the door for her.

The judge faulted police for not sending the bloodstained pillow and a cotton belt - the alleged murder weapons - for forensic examination .

"That aspect creates a doubt with respect to the manner in which the investigation has been handled," Mandal said. He also expressed surprise that the cotton belt, cited by police as a key weapon, was similarly ignored. The prosecution had argued that Paik's possession of Chiranjib's mobile phone linked him to the killing. But the court rejected that logic, questioning why a murderer would hold onto such incriminating evidence.