Tripura High Court Acquits Two Men in 2019 Bank Manager Murder Case

Agartala: The Tripura High Court acquitted two men on May 26, overturning their previous life imprisonment sentences in the 2019 murder case of a bank manager. The incident occurred on the night of August 3 and 4, 2019, when Bodhisattya Das, a UCO Bank manager from Dharmanagar, was visiting Agartala near Jackson Gate.

According to reports, an argument erupted after three individuals, including a traffic police inspector, stopped their vehicle near Das and his friend. A scuffle ensued, during which another individual named Soheb Miah allegedly stabbed Das multiple times. Although the victim died from his injuries, he had initially named several suspects to police responders.

A lower court had previously sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment following an investigation into the victim mother's FIR. Sumit Banik and Sumit Chowdhury later appealed their convictions to the High Court. During the proceedings, their defense argued that the two men had no prior knowledge of the stabbing and were not involved in any planned conspiracy.

The division bench of Justice T Amarnath Goud and Justice S Datta Purkayastha accepted these arguments, ruling that the fatal attack was a sudden act by the primary accused rather than a coordinated effort. Consequently, Banik and Chowdhury were cleared of all charges, while the other two convicted individuals remain incarcerated.