Acquitted, expelled CPM leader Subol Bagchi leaves the court in Ranaghat. Telegraph picture

Ranaghat, March 30: As many as 18 of 25 people accused of robbing and raping wedding parties in two buses in 2003 were acquitted today because “90 per cent” of the 158 witnesses turned hostile.

Four have been convicted by a Nadia court of murdering one of the drivers, and will be sentenced tomorrow in what is known as the Dhantola bus robbery case. The punishment for the four could range from life imprisonment to death.

Among those who rode out on the shoulders of jubilant supporters were two expelled CPM leaders against whom the father of one of the brides refused to testify. The father is also associated with the party, the additional public prosecutor said.

The attack six years ago had triggered such an uproar that chief minister Buddha- deb Bhattacharjee, under pressure to preserve the self-de- clared tag of “oasis of peace” on Bengal, had promised “exemplary punishment”.

Police had accused the former CPM leaders, Subol Bagchi and Saidul Karigar, of masterminding the highway heist in Nadia’s Dhantola. But the two were acquitted today.

“There is not enough evi- dence against 18 people and they are being acquitted,” the additional district and sessions judge said.

The four found guilty of murder and looting — Kurban Ali, Chinu Sardar, Pute Sardar and Lodhai Sardar — were wanted by the police when the robbers waylaid the buses. Lodhai was also held guilty of rape and Pute of molestation.

Two of the accused are missing and a third, Babu Bala, is still on trial.

Government lawyer Dilip Chatterjee blamed hostile witnesses for the acquittals. “There were 158 witnesses, 90 per cent of them turned hostile.”

On February 5, 2003, the robbers were looting a luxury bus on the Dhantola-Ainsmali Road, about 70km from Calcutta, when a second bus packed with wedding guests rolled in. It was looted as well. The driver of the second bus, Samir Ghosh, was shot dead apparently after he recognised some of the goons. Six women were dragged to an under-construction school building and raped. Many more were molested.

An outraged chief minister had said soon after: “The police will have to nab each and every one of them even if they are getting political shelter.”

Told about the acquittals, home secretary Ardhendu Sen said this evening: “We will have to do something. But it will be unwise to comment till I have gone through the court papers.”

Sanat Dhali, the father of a bride whose guests were robbed in front of him, was among those who turned hostile. Additional public prosecutor Chatterjee said: “Sanat Dhali was then the CPM’s Aranghata local committee secretary. Called to the witness box, he refused to level any allegation against Subol and Saidul.”

Subol was then a member of the party’s Aranghata zonal committee. The police had accused the schoolteacher of plotting the heist to embarrass a rival group in his own party.

After picking up Saidul, then a Gangnapur local committee member, the police had claimed to have recovered some of the stolen jewellery from his house. “The charges against Saidul could also not be proved because of hostile witnesses,” said a lawyer.

Having arrested Pute and two others in March 2003, then Burdwan superintendent of police B.N. Ramesh had said: “The entire (Dhantola) operation, according to them, was at the behest of the two arrested CPM functionaries.”

Subol was suspended from his school after arrest. “Now he will get his job back. False charges were brought against my client. He is quite a popular person in Aranghata,” said his lawyer Raja Banerjee.

Nadia CPM secretary Ashu Ghosh said both Subol and Saidul could be re-inducted to the party.