The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the murder of a BJP worker in Kolkata during the 2021 post-poll violence, has named TMC MLA Paresh Pal and two city councillors in its supplementary chargesheet.
The central agency has named 18 additional people, including three police personnel – the then officer-in-charge of Narkeldanga Police Station, Subhojit Sen, sub-inspector Ratna Sarkar, and one home guard – in the supplementary chargesheet that was submitted before the ACJM, Sealdah, on June 30.
BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar was lynched by a group of people in the Kankurgachi area of Kolkata on May 2, 2021, as a wave of violence hit the state following the Assembly elections in which the TMC regained power in the state. Sarkar’s family had accused Beliaghata MLA Paresh Pal of orchestrating the murder, claiming that the ruling party leader had been threatening Sarkar during the elections.
Reacting to the CBI naming the TMC leaders in the chargesheet, Abhijit’s brother Biswajit Sarkar said: “This is a partial win for our family. The day they are convicted and sentenced to death, I will feel that in our country no one is above the law. It may take time, but I will stay here to fight till my last breath.”
The CBI took over the probe on August 25, 2021, on the direction of the Calcutta High Court. Prior to the CBI’s involvement, the Detective Department of the state police had filed a chargesheet on August 6, 2021, against 15 people. Subsequently, the CBI filed its first supplementary chargesheet on September 30, 2021, against 20 accused, which included the 15 previously named in the police chargesheet.
Sarkar’s family had then expressed dissatisfaction over the CBI probe, saying the central agency filed the chargesheet without questioning TMC MLA Pal. Soon, the CBI summoned Pal for questioning.
Last week, four years after Sarkar’s murder, the CBI arrested prime accused Arun Dey (50), also known as ‘Bhai’, from Teghoria in Bidhannagar area of North 24 Parganas. Dey is in judicial custody.
According to the CBI, 20 people were named in the initial FIR, and charges have been framed against all of them. “So far, 15 people have been arrested, with five more accused still at large. The charges framed against the accused include that of murder, disappearance of evidence, and criminal conspiracy,” a CBI official said.
Those accused named in the previous CBI chargesheets include Sanjay Samanta, Samir Samanta, Sankar Das alias Buno, Arun Dey, Rahul Dey, Sourav Dey, Sukhdeb Poddar, Amit Das, Arup Das, Biswajit Das, Sanjay Barik, Amit Das, Tumpa Das alias Kali, Gopal Das, Papiya Barik, Sanjay Basak, Sufal Bose, Sanjay Dey alias Suvo, Abhijit Dey, and Kajal Das.