Bengal’s Opposition Leader Welcomes Court Order in BJP Worker’s Murder Case Linked to Post-Poll Violence
The West Bengal’s Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Friday welcomed a court order sending three former police personnel to judicial custody in connection with the 2021 murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar during alleged post-poll violence in the state. The case, now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), centers on the killing of Sarkar in Kolkata’s Beleghata area shortly after the state assembly elections. Adhikari said Sarkar was “brutally beaten and strangled to death,” and claimed that even his pet animals were not spared during the attack. “After the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP workers were subjected to brutal post-poll violence across West Bengal,” Adhikari said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “Abhijit Sarkar’s horrific murder is a burning example. Many BJP workers lost their lives, women were assaulted, and thousands were forced to flee their homes—some even took refuge in camps in other states.” A city court on Friday remanded Subhajit Sen, then officer-in-charge of Narkeldanga police station (later promoted to ACP before retirement), sub-inspector Ratna Sarkar, and home guard Dipankar Debnath to judicial custody in connection with the case. During the hearing, the judge remarked, “What happens when protectors become predators?” Adhikari said the CBI probe was moving in the right direction and warned that “no perpetrator of post-poll violence will be spared.” He reiterated the BJP’s commitment to justice for Sarkar and all victims of the violence. “We will continue our fight until every criminal responsible for the post-poll atrocities is brought to justice,” Adhikari added, using the hashtag “#KillerMamata” in a pointed attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Court sends three policemen, TMC worker to jail over BJP worker’s murder in post-poll violence
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday ordered the judicial custody of four individuals, including three former police personnel and a Trinamul Congress (TMC) worker, in connection with the 2021 murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activist Abhijit Sarkar in Kolkata’s Kankurgachi area. The court directed that the four accused — former officer-in-charge of Narkeldanga Police Station Subhajit Sen, then sub-inspector Ratna Sarkar, home guard Dipankar Debnath, and TMC worker Sujata De — be remanded in judicial custody until 31 July. One of the officers has since retired. The CBI is probing the case, which stems from violence that erupted in West Bengal following the announcement of the state assembly election results in May 2021. Sarkar, a prominent member of the BJP-affiliated labour wing, was killed on the day of the election results. The latest arrests come days after the CBI filed a charge sheet naming 18 individuals in connection with the case. The three police personnel were not initially named in the charge sheet but appeared in court on Thursday and surrendered. Sarkar’s brother, Biswajit Sarkar, welcomed the court’s move but criticized the earlier inaction by local police. “Despite being named in complaints, the officer-in-charge was never taken into custody or investigated by the Kolkata Police, which instead promoted him,” he told reporters outside the court. Reacting to the development, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, “This should serve as a lesson for those police officers who act as agents of the ruling TMC instead of upholding the Constitution.” Violence following the 2021 assembly polls led to several political and criminal investigations, with the BJP accusing the TMC of targeting its workers across the state — a charge the TMC has consistently denied. The case remains under investigation.
