A Barrackpore court on Monday held three persons guilty of murdering Anupam Dutta, a Trinamool Congress councillor of Panihati Municipality in North 24-Parganas, in March 2022.
Additional district judge of Barrackpore sub-divisional court, Ayan Kumar Banerjee, found Sanjib Pandit alias Bapi, Amit Pandit and Jiyarul Mondal guilty of murdering Dutta while he was on his way to visit a place after buying medicines from a shop in Agarpara, nearly 17km north of Calcutta, on March 13, three years back.
The quantum of punishment will be announced later in the week.
Among the three sentenced guilty, Sanjib, one of the accused, had moved Calcutta High Court seeking bail after his arrest. The high court had granted him bail.
On Monday, after the court sentenced the three guilty, police arrested Sanjib from the court compound.
Special public prosecutor Satyabrata Das said the three have been found guilty of a slew of charges, including murder and criminal conspiracy.
"The quantum of punishment for the three guilty sentenced would be announced within the next few days," Das said.
The Trinamool councillor of Ward 8 of Panihati Municipality, Dutta, was seated on the pillion of a two-wheeler, and the driver was about to leave, when a man in a blue-stripped T-shirt walked up to him from behind and fired from a point-blank range.
CCTV footage showed the assassin firing, aiming at Dutta's head, and the Trinamool councillor falling off the pillion after a bullet hit him.
The assassin, sporting sneakers and denim trousers, then ran away from the spot.
The detective department of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate took up the investigation of the murder and arrested Amit.
Subsequent probe by the police revealed that Dutta's murder was allegedly planned with the help of contract killers.
The deal was to ensure Dutta would be gunned down from close range against a payment of almost ₹4 lakh, the police said.
"We hope the accused will be adequately punished," said Dutta's wife, Meenakshi. "I am grateful to everyone for this verdict."
Sanjib said he was a victim of a "conspiracy."
"I have been politically framed. Politicians are involved," Sanjib said on his way out of the court.