On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned TMC leader Paresh Paul for the second time in the investigation of the murder of West Bengal BJP worker Avijit Sarkar. Paul arrived at the CBI office CGO complex office in Kolkata where he was questioned by the CBI officers for 3 hours based on the fresh inputs.
According to the reports, Paul is being summoned in the murder case of BJP worker Avijit Sarkar who was killed by purported TMC workers in the Narkeldanga area of the state. Sarkar was murdered after Paresh Paul had won the West Bengal 2021 Assembly election on May 2. While it is believed that the TMC MLA from Beleghata might be summoned again, he said on September 6 that he would cooperate with the CBI officials. “I will make myself available as many times as they call me”, he was quoted.
ভোট পরবর্তী হিংসার ঘটনায় তৃণমূল কংগ্রেস বিধায়ক পরেশ পালকে সিবিআই তলব। #PostPollViolence #TMC #PareshPaul #CBI pic.twitter.com/go7f7a8Eub
— DD Bangla News (@DDBanglaNews) September 6, 2022
The case against the TMC MLA was originally filed by West Bengal Police at the Narkeldanga Police Station. The CBI however took over the investigation in the case after the Calcutta High Court directed the agency to do so on August 19, 2021. Earlier, the CBI had questioned the TMC leader on May 18 for around eight hours. The officials had also recorded his statement in the case. Later it continued to investigate the matter and questioned other witnesses to tally the recorded statement.
Reports mention that the CBI also attained a few recordings of the phone calls made by the leader before and after the brutal incident and hence summoned the leader on Tuesday. The BJP worker named Avijit Sarkar was dragged out of his house at Narkeldanga in Kolkata hours after the 2021 election results were declared on May 2 and was brutally murdered by Trinamool Congress workers.
Hours before his death, Sarkar had taken to Facebook to narrate the harrowing tale of violence that he was subjected to by the TMC goons. “I don’t know how to come live (on Facebook). They hurled bombs right in front of my eyes and vandalized my house and the party office. My only mistake is that I am a BJP worker,” he had said. He also cried on camera alleging that the TMC workers had killed his pet dogs also.
“They are destroying my house, NGO office – one after the other. Look at my dogs. She had given birth to 5 beautiful puppies. I uploaded their pictures on Facebook. They (TMC workers) slaughtered them mercilessly”, he had said adding that the attack took place in Ward no. 30 in the Beleghata neighbourhood in Kolkata under the supervision of TMC leaders Paresh Paul and Swapan Samaddar. OpIndia had later learned that Avijit Sarkar was beaten to death after uploading the two testimonials on Facebook.
Also, Biswajeet Sarkar, brother of the victim had talked to Opindia alleging that the attack was executed under the supervision of TMC MLA Paresh Pal and local councillor Sapan Samaddar. “I gave all names to the police but they did not act. TMC MLA Paresh Pal and local councillor Sapan Samaddar openly said on the day of polling that on the day of the results, they will kill us. Everybody witnessed it. I heard the goons talking to each other that they had an open hand from Paresh Da and Sapan Da to kill them”, he had stated.
Demanding justice further, he had noted that the TMC leaders were threatening him and his family and forcing them to keep shut about Avijit’s murder. “They still threaten to kill me. As I speak about the murder of my brother, they threaten my mother saying that there will be ‘Khela Hobe’ with me,” he had stated adding that he no more is scared of anyone.
