NIA Arrests Third Suspect in Murder Case of Bengal BJP Leader
Click to start listening
Kolkata, Jan 3 (NationPress) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) reported on Friday that it has detained another crucial suspect in the killing of BJP leader Bijoy Krishna Bhunia in the East Midnapore district of West Bengal back in May 2023.
The NIA stated that Mohan Mondal was apprehended in Pune, Maharashtra. He had been on the run since the murder of Bhunia in May of last year.
“Mohan Mondal was captured by the NIA on Thursday in relation to the May 2023 incident, during which Bijoy Krishna Bhunia was abducted and murdered in Goramahal village, Moyna, in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. Mohan Mondal had non-bailable warrants issued against him due to his evasion,” read the NIA statement.
According to the NIA's announcement, Mondal marks the third individual to be arrested in this case, following Naba Kumar Mondal and Suvendu Bhowmick, who had been taken into custody earlier. Naba Kumar Mondal was arrested in November of the previous year.
The NIA initiated the case after assuming control of the investigation from the Moyna police upon the directive of the Calcutta High Court via an order issued in April 2024.
"The NIA is progressing with its investigation as part of its mission to uncover the entire conspiracy surrounding the abduction and murder of Bhunia and to apprehend the remaining fugitives," the statement continued.
Bhunia was murdered in Moyna in May of last year. Initially, the single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha from the Calcutta High Court mandated a probe at the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) level.
However, there were subsequent claims against the state police regarding a flawed investigation.
The first grievance was that the recovery of bombs from the murder scene was not documented in the charge sheet.
Criticism of the state police also included that their investigators failed to list several suspects in the chargesheet.
Bhunia served as the booth president of the BJP in Moyna. He was allegedly seized by goons connected to former Trinamool Congress legislator Sangram Kumar Dolui and subsequently murdered.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) also took suo motu cognizance of the case.
During this time, the then NCSC Chairman Arun Halder visited Moyna and asserted that Bhunia's murder is indicative of the state government's failure to protect the Scheduled Castes, who represent 22 percent of the state's total electorate.
