Darjeeling Court Hands Rigorous Life Term to Man Convicted of New Year’s Eve Murder

Judge Jimut Bahan Biswas delivers sentence after detailed trial and examination of 14 witnesses

KalimNews, Darjeeling, December 1, 2025 : The Darjeeling District and Sessions Court has imposed rigorous life imprisonment on Deep Tamang — also known locally as Jugal — after holding him responsible for the murder of his neighbour, Urgen Tamang, during a year-end gathering in 2024. The judgment, delivered on Monday by District and Sessions Judge Jimut Bahan Biswas, came at the end of a trial that drew on testimonies from 14 witnesses.

The case revolved around an incident that unfolded on 30 December 2024 at the victim’s brother Yogen Tamang's home in Ward 1, Lower Lamahatta, under the Rungli Rungliot police station. What had begun as a festive get-together tea party in the kitchen to mark the Christmas and New Year period turned violent later that evening. According to Public Prosecutor Pranay Rai, a dispute flared up around 9 p.m. between Yogen's elder brother Urgen Tamang and Deep Tamang after the participants had consumed alcohol. In the heat of the argument, Deep allegedly seized a pair of scissors and attacked Ugen, delivering blows to his neck and chest.

Efforts by others present at the gathering to break up the confrontation proved too late to save the victim. They hurried him to the Singritam primary health centre, yet doctors there declared him dead upon arrival due to excessive bleeding. The body was subsequently moved to the Darjeeling Sadar Hospital for an autopsy, where forensic surgeons confirmed that the injuries were consistent with intentional homicide.

Deep was arrested the following day, on 31 December 2024, and sent to judicial custody. With the chargesheet filed soon after, the case proceeded under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with murder. Prosecutor Rai noted that the convergence of witness accounts, medical evidence, and investigative findings enabled the court to reach a clear conclusion regarding the accused’s guilt.

In court on Monday, Judge Biswas formally recorded the conviction and ordered rigorous life imprisonment, bringing the trial to a close.

Members of the victim’s family expressed a sense of relief after the verdict. Ugen’s sister, recounting the hardships they faced following the death of their primary breadwinner, said the ruling had offered them some solace. “We went through enormous difficulties after losing him,” she said. “But we are thankful to the law and the judiciary for ensuring justice for my brother.”

The sentencing has been viewed locally as an affirmation of the judicial system’s responsiveness in severe criminal cases, particularly those that shake close-knit communities.