The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal Police to take necessary legal action against Prashant Barman, the absconding former Block Development Officer (BDO) of Raiganj Block in North Dinajpur district, within the next 10 days. Barman is an accused in the abduction and murder of Salt Lake gold merchant Swapan Kamilya in October last year.

Key Court Directives

The order was passed on Wednesday evening by the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Apurba Sinha Roy, with the copy uploaded on the High Court website on Thursday. The bench also directed the office of the state's Director General of Police (DGP) to submit a compliance report to the Registrar General of the Calcutta High Court within the same 10-day window.

In a sharp rebuke to investigative lapses, the court has additionally ordered a departmental inquiry against the investigating officer concerned for dereliction of duty.

How Barman Slipped Through Again

On May 26, Barman was produced before a district court in North 24 Parganas in two matters — the Kamilya murder case and a separate drunk-driving case. Despite the judge waiting at the bench for an extended period, the investigating officer in the murder case reportedly failed to furnish the necessary case documents to the court.

Barman was subsequently granted bail in the drunk-driving case against a personal bond of ₹1,000, after which he went absconding once again.

The Dramatic New Town Arrest

Barman's earlier arrest around midnight on May 25 in New Town, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, was largely coincidental. According to the Bidhannagar City Police, Barman — driving in a heavily intoxicated state — struck a two-wheeler rider, who then blocked his car and confronted him.

Instead of apologising, Barman is said to have abused the rider and local residents who gathered at the spot. A bystander recorded the incident and circulated it on social media, prompting personnel from the Ecopark Police Station to detain and later arrest him.

Background: The Kamilya Murder Case

Barman, described in reports as a close confidant of certain leaders of the Trinamool Congress, had been absconding for months in connection with the death of gold merchant Swapan Kamilya. Kamilya's body was recovered from near a canal at Dattabad, Salt Lake, on October 29 last year. Barman was accused of abducting and killing him.

He had earlier secured anticipatory bail from a sub-divisional court, which the Bidhannagar City Police challenged before the Calcutta High Court. The High Court set aside the anticipatory bail and directed Barman to surrender by December 22, 2025. After he failed to comply, the Bidhannagar Court issued an arrest warrant.

Barman then moved the Supreme Court, where a bench of Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Vijay Bishnoi ordered him to surrender by January 23, 2026 — a deadline he is reported to have ignored before going underground again.

What Happens Next

The Bengal Police now face a court-imposed deadline to act, with the DGP's office accountable to the High Court's Registrar General. The departmental inquiry against the investigating officer could open a wider scrutiny of how a murder accused repeatedly slipped through the system despite multiple court orders.