Bengal BJP worker killing: CBI's supplementary charge sheet names 18 additional accused

Kolkata, July 2 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Wednesday, claimed that they have submitted a supplementary charge sheet at a special court in Kolkata on June 20 and named 18 additional accused persons, including one legislator and two councillor in the case of BJP worker, Abhijit Sarkar’s killing in 2021.

With the 18 additional accused persons being named in the charge sheet, the total number of accused persons in the case has risen to 38.

Initially, the investigation into the matter was started by the homicide squad under the Detective Department of Kolkata Police, which in its charge sheet named a total of 15 accused persons.

Subsequently, following an order of the Calcutta High Court, the CBI took over the investigation by registering a case in August 2021 and in September 2021 filed a supplementary charge sheet against 20 accused persons, including the 15 previously charge sheeted by the city police.

Although the CBI in the statement released on Monday has not named the legislator who is among the 18 additional accused persons, political circles in the state believe that he is the Trinamool Congress legislator from Belegahta Assembly constituency in North Kolkata, Paresh Paul, who is the only legislator from the state to be questioned by the CBI in the case.

However, his name was not in the previous supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI in the matter, which angered the family members of the slain BJP worker.

Last week, a prime absconding accused in the killing of Abhijit Sarkar was arrested by the CBI sleuths after four years since the killing took place. The arrested person was Arun Dey, on whom the CBI had earlier announced a reward of Rs 50,000. He was one of the five prime accused persons in the murder of Sarkar, a resident of the Kankurgachi area in North Kolkata.

Abhijit Sarkar was killed on May 2, 2021, soon after the results of the Assembly elections were declared, where Trinamool Congress bagged a landslide victory.

--IANS

src/dan