The CBI on Friday filed another chargesheet in the Bengal post-poll violence investigation in the murder of BJP activist Debabrata Maiti in Nandigram. The central investigators filed the chargesheet in the Haldia court in the names of Sheikh Fatenur, Sheikh Mizanur and Sheikh Imdulal Islam in relation to Maiti’s murder. The number of chargesheets in the violence investigation has increased to five.
Earlier, the CBI had questioned Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Nandigram election agent Sheikh Sufian and two other TMC leaders in connection with Maiti’s murder, sources said. After Sheikh Sufian was summoned by the CBI, there was uproar in state politics. However, Sufian said he would help the investigators in any way he could.
After the announcement of the election results, the TMC has been accused of killing BJP supporter Debabrata Maiti, a resident of Chillogram in Nandigram. Sufian was also allegedly involved in the murder. Slain Maiti’s family had also lodged a complaint with the state Human Rights Commission against the TMC. However, accused TMC leader Sheikh Sufian said, “The CBI has sent me a notice. I have been asked to appear at the Government Guest House adjacent to Haldia Port on Thursday. I am not involved in that incident. Yet, I have to go when I am called. The whole thing is political revenge. That is why I have been summoned.” Sufian even alleged that the state’s Opposition leaders were behind the CBI’s summons.
Praloy Pal Palta, vice-president of the BJP’s Tamluk organizing district, said, “Trinamool miscreants went to Debabrata Maiti’s house in Chillogram the day after the election and beat him up. Debabrata was taken to Calcutta with serious injuries and died two days later.”
The BJP leader further said, “No case could be filed at Nandigram police station at that moment because the TMC people surrounded from all sides. The police were also inactive. Later, when the Human Rights Commission came to Nandigram, a complaint was lodged with them. There are names of several first line TMC leaders of Nandigram, including Sheikh Sufian, in that incident. Even then, if Sufyanbabu says he has been called for political revenge, I would say, make an argument in his favour, because everything is being done as per the law.”
It is to be noted that the political turmoil started with the recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the post-poll violence case in the state.
The TMC had alleged that the NHRC has been biased. The investigation into the alleged rape and murder cases has been handed over to the CBI. On the other hand, a three-member team of the state police has been constituted to investigate the remaining incidents of violence. The NHRC said in its report that the state has no rule of law.