Lawyer murder finger at land fight

The sketch of the suspected killer released by Jalpaiguri police

TT, Jalpaiguri, Nov. 24: Jalpaiguri police today released a sketch of the suspected murderer of Kishore Chanda, the lawyer killed yesterday morning.

The CID and the police said the murder was the fallout of a suspected dispute over land and the killer was an old client of Chanda.

"We have spoken to three persons, the law clerk who worked for the deceased and Chanda's driver. Based on their description, we have prepared a sketch of the murderer," C.S. Lepcha, the deputy inspector general of police, said at a news conference.

"Our officers have found the motive behind the lawyer's murder and we have some more information about the killer. However, we would not prefer to divulge more on the case as the investigation is in progress," she added.

This afternoon, a three-member team from the CID went to Chanda's flat on Station Road. They collected fingerprints and some other samples from there.

According to police sources, it has emerged during the investigation that the lawyer had been killed because of a land dispute.

"The deceased lawyer has a small tea plantation at Satkhura on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri. He was also involved in land deals on Sevoke Road and the Bhaktinagar area in Siliguri. So far, we have come to know that the murderer also deals in land and was a client of Chanda. Raids have been conducted at some places in and around Siliguri to catch the murderer but he managed to escape," one of the investigators said.

It was also learnt from police sources that Chanda had disputes with one of his clients who is a resident of Bhaktinagar area and reportedly who owns a plot on Sevoke Road in Siliguri.

"That person and his father had filed a suit against some people who had allegedly encroached on a 12-cottah plot. Chanda was their lawyer. However, for some reasons they could not get the plot back. The name of a Trinamul leader in the Bhaktinagar area also figured in the deal. As the issue has come to light, we are in the process of gathering more information," a source said.

Yesterday, the murderer had entered Chanda's flat after 9 am. He had tea with him and then killed him with a dagger. While he was leaving the apartment, Vivek Dey Sarkar, the law clerk working with Chanda, had seen him coming down from the stairs with blood spots on his garment. Also, Tarapada Roy, Chanda's driver and a retail rice seller who runs a shop on Station Road, had seen him.