Siliguri, 30th May: The case involving the tragic death of a research scholar student of North Bengal University (NBU) has neared conclusion after the accused Professor Siddharth Shankar Laha was successfully arrested on Wednesday night.
According to reports, in a collaborative effort, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Matigara police conducted a special operation, arrested the accused professor from Assam, and escorted him back to Siliguri on Wednesday night. Incidentally, on May 16, the lifeless body of the research scholar Babita Dutta was found hanging from the noose in her rented accommodation in the Shiv Mandir area.
Initial assumptions indicated that it was a suicide attempt until two days after the incident when the deceased’s brother lodged a formal complaint at the Matigara police station accusing the professor’s alleged involvement in the case. The incident garnered political attention after the members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) called for several protests and strikes demanding justice for the deceased.
Meanwhile, the Siliguri Metropolitan Police initiated the search operation for the accused professor, who has been evading authorities since the incident. The investigation led the officials to trace the professor’s mobile tower location to Goalpara in Assam. Subsequently, the Matigara police and SOG team, in joint efforts with the Baguan Police Station successfully arrested Professor Laha.
On Thursday, the Matigara Police will present the accused, Professor Siddharth Shankar Laha, before the Siliguri Court and appeal to the court to take him on remand for their investigation into this tragic case.