TMC MLA’s murder: CID summons BJP Nadia prez

Kolkata/Krisnanagar: State investigating agency CID has summoned BJP’s Nadia president Jagannath Sarkar in connection with the murder of Trinamool MLA Satyajit Biswas. Biswas, the legislator from Krishnaganj, was shot dead from point blank range on February 9 during a Saraswati Puja programme in Nadia’s Fulbari area.
The BJP leader has sought 10 days to make himself available for questioning.CID sources said he was handed over the summons at his residence at 5.30pm on Thursday. Sarkar has prayed for time citing ill health and party engagements. “Jagannath Sarkar is having high fever. He has been admitted to a local nursing home in Kalyani. We had sought 10 days’ time. Sarkar fell ill after CID turned down the prayer,” said a close aide of the BJP leader.
CID sleuths are not willing to wait as the investigation has reached a “critical stage”. “The person hasn’t contacted anyone at the CID headquarters till Saturday evening,” a senior CID officer said. According to sources, Sarkar didn’t take calls from Bhawani Bhavan even after reaching Kolkata with his family. “We are keeping a tab on developments. We will take legal action if he avoids personal appearance on flimsy grounds,” said an officer.
The CID top brass also held a meeting about the progress of sensitive cases, the exercise undertaken after former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar took over as ADG CID.
Trinamool’s Nadia president and Tehatta MLA Gouri Sankar Dutta had pointed fingers at BJP, and particularly Mukul Roy, on the day of the murder. “Satyajit was a very good organiser and also a member of the Matua Mahasangha. He was BJP’s target since long. I will put it on record that BJP leader Mukul Roy has a hand in the murder because Satyajit had come in the way of Roy’s bid to woo Matuas in Nadia to BJP,” the Trinamool MLA had said.
Police had rounded up two persons — a Trinamool supporter and an ex-BJP activist undergoing treatment for depression — in connection with the murder. Kartick Mandal, alias Mithun, 24, who is a TMC activist, and Sujit Mandal, 29, were among the five named in an FIR lodged by the deceased MLA’s close aide Milan Saha.
The other three are Roy and TMC workers Abhijit Punduri and Kalipada Mandal. While Roy was booked for criminal conspiracy, the other four were accused of murder and criminal conspiracy. A total of five persons have been arrested so far.
TMC Birbhum president Anubrata Mandal, who had rushed to the bereaved family on the day of the murder, said: “I have information that one among the arrested took RSS training. So what’s the harm if CID summons the BJP Nadia president? Let him face CID questioning and prove that he is innocent.”