Soumitra Nandi
Kolkata: A walking disabled 53 year old was brutally assaulted to death allegedly by his younger brother over property dispute inside the residence at Ballygunge Gardens under Gariahat police station area in south Kolkata. The accused Ranadeep Banerjee was arrested by the police later on Friday evening after prolonged interrogation at the police station.

According to police sources the victim Sudeep Banerjee used to stay with his brother Ranadeep at the first floor of their two storied paternal residence at 108A Ballygunge Gardens. They were unemployed and maintained their livelihood from the rental income of the house. There were four rooms in the ground floor that were given on rent. Alpana Mallik used to work as domestic help in the house for the last six years. Their mother had died in 2012 while another brother of the victim Sandip died in 2013 after which two of them used to stay there.

On Thursday around 10 pm, Alpana noticed Sudip lying on the floor with lacerated injuries and bruises on legs, face and other parts of his body including scalp and forehead. As per the complaint lodged by Joydeep Banerjee, the cousin brother of the victim who used to stay nearby Sudeep was assaulted by his younger brother Ranadeep after a dispute following which he died. Investigations further revealed that Sudeep was beaten up on Thursday morning also by Ranadeep. 

“The room in which the victim was assaulted was put under lock and key by the accused to suppress evidence which we broke open in presence of local witnesses after we received information in the wee hours on Friday. An iron pipe stained with blood was also seized from the same room,” said Gourav Sharma, deputy commissioner of police( South East). 

Sleuths investigating the case said that Ranadeep wanted to be the sole owner of the property. He was in talks with a promoter and was planning to sell off the property in exchange of lumpsum money but Sudeep was against selling off the paternal property. This resulted in the dispute between the two brothers.

Though there was no legal separation but the victim’s wife and only son lived separately in Behala after he had become walking disabled some eight years back.