Court sentences rickshaw-puller to death for brutal murder of elderly professor couple

 

By Sumesh Rajan | 8 July 2025

Kolkata, West Bengal, INDIA: A Kolkata court has sentenced a 45-year-old man to death for the brutal murder of a retired professor couple in 2015, terming it a "rarest of rare" case due to the calculated betrayal of trust and extreme cruelty involved in the crime.

Sanjay Sen, also known as Bappa, a rickshaw-puller from North Kolkata’s Chitpore area, was found guilty of killing 77-year-old Pran Gobinda Das, a former professor at Burdwan University, and his wife Renuka Das, 75, who had taught history at Sarojini Naidu College, Dum Dum. The couple were found murdered in their flat on July 15, 2015, with multiple injuries and mutilated facial features. Their residence had been ransacked, with cash and jewellery looted.

Delivering the sentence on July 3, Additional Sessions Judge Anirban Das of Sealdah Sessions Court observed that the elderly couple had placed immense trust in Sen, who had known them for years—first as a fishmonger and later as a rickshaw-puller. He frequently assisted them with daily chores such as visiting banks, doctors, and markets. They even helped fund his wedding.

“The betrayal of such long-standing trust and the nature of the prolonged assault, spanning over four hours, shows cold-blooded preplanning and a sadistic intent,” Judge Das noted in his order. “This was not an act driven by sudden provocation or economic desperation but a deliberate, cruel and calculated crime.”

The prosecution said Sen attacked the couple with an iron rod, striking their faces and heads repeatedly before fleeing with stolen gold jewellery and ₹1.87 lakh in cash. The mutilation of their faces was highlighted by the court as an act of sadism, going beyond what was necessary to commit robbery.

During the 10-year trial, 30 witnesses were examined. The prosecution built its case on forensic evidence and witness testimonies. Sen's arrest came after inconsistencies in his statements led police to recover the murder weapon, blood-stained clothes, and the stolen goods from separate locations, including a pond and a hideout in East Midnapore’s Nandigram.

The case was registered on the complaint of the couple’s nephew, Partha Sen. The charge sheet was filed within the stipulated 90-day period, ensuring an in-custody trial.

While sentencing Sen to death, Judge Das emphasized the need to send a strong message against crimes targeting vulnerable individuals like senior citizens. “This punishment is not just about retribution. It reaffirms societal values, condemns betrayal of trust and extreme violence, and serves as a deterrent,” the judge said.

The same judge had awarded life imprisonment to Sanjoy Roy, who was convicted of the rape and murder of a young post-graduate intern at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024. Judge Das, in that case, had stated that society must rise above "primitive instincts" of retributive justice, though the CBI has since challenged the life term in the Calcutta High Court.

In the 2015 double-murder case, however, the judge found no mitigating circumstances and deemed death penalty as the only proportionate punishment. The defence has announced plans to appeal the sentence in a higher court. All death penalty verdicts by trial courts require confirmation by the Calcutta High Court.