Samiul Sheikh, one of the accused in the murder of local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sujit Mondal in Samserganj, Murshidabad district, was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon during a crime-scene reconstruction exercise conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal police, according to officials.
Source: Nation Press
According to officials, Sheikh allegedly snatched a firearm from one of the escorting CID officers during the reconstruction and opened fire at the police personnel. CID officers retaliated, leaving Sheikh critically injured. He was rushed to Jangipur Sub-Divisional Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Source: Nation Press
An officer of the Jangipur Police District confirmed the sequence described by the CID, saying the state CID was investigating the murder of Sujit Mondal and that a gun battle took place when the accused was taken to the spot to reconstruct the crime scene, after which he was taken to hospital and declared dead.
Source: Nation Press
The Sujit Mondal murder case
Sujit Mondal, a local BJP leader and a resident of the Old Dakbanglo area of Samserganj, disappeared on 28 August this year, and his dismembered body was later recovered, according to officials. Police subsequently arrested three accused in the case — Samiul Sheikh, Tajkira Bibi and Johnny Sheikh. With Sheikh's death, the other two accused remain in custody.
The murder case had earlier put the local police under scrutiny. Mondal's wife, Sumana Mondal, has alleged that she repeatedly approached the local police station after her husband's disappearance but received no assistance. The case was followed by disciplinary action against several police officials, including suspensions, transfers and departmental inquiries, according to the reports.
Second encounter death in Bengal on the same day
The Samserganj killing was the second police encounter death in West Bengal on Tuesday. Earlier the same day, an accused in a separate case in Gaighata, North 24 Parganas district, was also killed during a police crime-scene reconstruction, in what police described as retaliatory firing after he allegedly snatched an officer's firearm. The two incidents, reported together by national news summaries, are expected to intensify scrutiny of custodial and scene-reconstruction practices in the state.
Source: Inshorts
Awaaz Punjab is reporting the police account of both encounters as the police account. The allegations against Sheikh in the Mondal murder case were allegations in an ongoing investigation and had not been established in court.