Bengal govt appoints special prosecutor in Barun Biswas murder case
Times of India | 18 July 2026
Kolkata: The Bengal govt on Friday appointed Debaranjan Bandyopadhyay as special public prosecutor in the 2012 murder case of Barun Biswas, the schoolteacher who was shot dead for raising his voice against rapes in Sutia, North 24 Parganas.
The development came days after Barun’s elder brother Asit and sister Pramila Ray Biswas met CM Suvendu Adhikari, seeking justice for the killing and a plea to reopen the 14-year-old case.
On Friday, the 37th prosecution witness deposed before the Bongaon Sub-Divisional Court. Court sources said that the testimony of 76 witnesses is scheduled in the case. “With Friday’s hearing, evidence from 37 witnesses has been recorded, while 36 witnesses have testified earlier,” an official said.
“The next hearing has been fixed for Aug 31, when Barun’s 85-year-old father, Jagadish Chandra Biswas, is expected to depose before the court. This case has been pending for a long time. We are hopeful that it will be resolved soon,” Bandyopadhyay said.
Pramila said, “Our previous lawyer did not help us in any way; rather, he became an obstacle. He would instruct us on exactly what to say. If my father tried to say something, he would tell him, ‘You cannot say it like that; you have to say it this way.’ He used to coach us like that. Now that we have been given a new lawyer, we are hopeful that we will finally get justice. If my father is called to testify and keeps well, we will take him to court.”
On July 5, 2012, Barun, a teacher at Mitra Institution, was shot dead by assailants near Gobardanga railway station for protesting against the recurrent anti-social activities.
Barun’s family accused the Trinamool Congress govt of failing to conduct a proper investigation and claimed that the probe had turned into a “farce”. According to them, the alleged masterminds behind the murder have never been identified or brought to justice.
The appointment of the special public prosecutor has renewed hope among Barun’s family members and residents of Sutia that justice may finally be delivered.