Kolkata: A local court in Bankura on Wednesday sentenced four members of a family to life imprisonment for the murder of a retired teacher and his son in Dec 2023, special public prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee said.The convicts — Pintu Ruidas, his wife Namita, and their sons Maheswar and Bisweswar — were found guilty of carrying out a premeditated revenge killing following a long-standing dispute over illegal constructrion on the victim’s land.The victims, 66-year-old physically challenged retired teacher Mathura Mohan Datta and his 29-year-old son Sridhar Datta, were hacked to death inside their house on Natunchati Loharapara Road.According to the prosecution, the murders were triggered by a Calcutta High Court order directing demolition of an illegal structure built by the Ruidas family.Chatterjee said the accused entered the house armed with iron rods, wooden beams and sharp iron implements and brutally assaulted the father and son. Sridhar, who was due to get married soon, allegedly pleaded with the attackers to spare them and offered to withdraw all legal cases.The trial relied on the testimony of lone survivor Mallika Datta, the wife of the retired teacher, who suffered grevious injuries in the attack. Her statement was backed by 23 witnesses, telecom data and DNA evidence.
