Assam: Dhubri's rumoured haunted bungalow, a site of heinous murder, to be converted into state-of-the-art courthouse

A new chapter is about to begin as Dhubri is set to get a new district court building at a much talked about site. In the past, a district judge massacred his entire family in this same location, which was his official residence and the area was since then rumoured to be a haunted spot.

The rumoured 'Bhoot Bungalow' was once utilised by representatives of the R.S.N. and I.G.N. shipping company. The government then acquired the bungalow to be used as the district judge's quarter cum residence once the company moved on.

Back in February 2, 1970, Upendra Nath Rajkhowa, after his retirement as District and Sessions Judge of Dhubri, had murdered all of his family members in the bungalow where they were staying, a heinous murder that had sent tremors across the state. 

The victims included wife Putuli, also known as Putul Rajkhowa, and elder daughter Nirmali, also known as Linu Rajkhowa, who were reportedly murdered on the night of February 10, 1970. Jonali, also known as Luna Rajkhowa and Rupali, alias Ruplekha, alias Bhantu Rajkhowa, the other two younger daughters of the retired judge were reportedly murdered on February 25.

Three trenches behind the bungalow were used to bury the four victims by Upendra Nath Rajkhowa, who had the assistance of Umesh Baishya, his trusty aide. Rajkhowa did not stop there, he proceeded to put flower trees on the three pits so that no one could discover them and later, Rajkhowa boarded a bus to Siliguri on April 15 and Umesh Baishya left Dhubri.

A complaint was soon filed at the Dhubri Sadar police station when his relatives questioned him about the whereabouts of his family members. However, the brother of Putul Rajkhowa took the case seriously at the time because he was appointed as a high-ranking police official, and the murder case began to unfold.

Three months after the murder, on June 24, 1970, D.N. Kahali, the case's investigating officer, discovered a clue along with other higher authorities and apprehended Upendra Nath Rajkhowa from West Bengal's Sevoy Hotel in Siliguri. 

Afterwards, in front of the investigating officer, the accused admitted to the murder, and as a result, the remains were recovered from the pits which was just behind the residential bungalow.

On the advice of the High Court, a sessions court condemned Upendra Nath Rajkhowa to death and acquitted his companion Umesh Baishya. Rajkhowa was accused in the high-profile case of killing his wife and three young girls and secretly burying them in his compound.

In February 14, 1974, the accused of the sensational murder case Upendra Nath Rajkhowa, former District and Sessions Judge was hung till death in the Jorhat Jail for committing the heinous crime in the bungalow at Dhubri where the new district court building is about to get functional within the next year.

According to Kamal Hussain Ahmed, secretary, and Nurul Islam Choudhury, president of the Dhubri Bar Association, the six-story facility under construction will be shortly be opened. The community of lawyers in Dhubri is thrilled that the ill-fated Bungalow, that had become the subject of gossip, will be replaced with a cutting-edge courthouse.