Are Two Cops Facing Accusations in Bengal Post-Poll Violence Seeking Bail?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Two policemen are implicated in a murder case following post-poll violence.
- The Calcutta High Court is reviewing bail petitions.
- The total number of accused has increased to 38.
- The CBI took over the investigation at the Calcutta High Court's directive.
- Public trust in law enforcement is at stake.
Kolkata, July 21 (NationPress) Two police officers, implicated in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) recent supplementary charge sheet regarding the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar during the post-election unrest in the state following the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday with bail petitions.
The individuals seeking bail from the single-judge bench presided over by Justice Suvra Ghosh are the former lady sub-inspector of Narkeldanga Police Station, Ratna Sarkar, and a home guard named Dipankar Debnath. They have also requested an expedited hearing.
Justice Ghosh accepted the petitions, and the case is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday.
Both Ratna Sarkar and Dipankar Debnath were placed in judicial custody until July 31 by the special CBI court on July 18. On that same day, the court also ordered the remand of Subhojit Sen, a retired assistant commissioner of Kolkata police and the former officer in charge of Narkeldanga Police Station, to judicial custody until July 31.
However, Sen has yet to file a bail petition with the Calcutta High Court.
All three individuals were named as accused in the supplementary charge sheet submitted by the CBI earlier this month in the same special court in Kolkata. During the remand to judicial custody on July 18, the judge remarked that if a “protector” turns into a “killer,” the societal repercussions are profound.
Abhijit Sarkar, a BJP party worker and resident of the Kankurgachi area in North Kolkata, was fatally attacked during the post-poll violence on May 2, 2021, shortly after the Trinamool Congress secured a decisive victory in the 2021 assembly elections.
On July 2 this year, the CBI announced that a new supplementary charge sheet, listing 18 additional accused individuals, was submitted to the special court.
With these new additions, the total number of accused in the case has reached 38.
The initial investigation was conducted by the homicide squad of the detective department of Kolkata Police, which named 15 individuals in its chargesheet.
Following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, the CBI assumed control of the investigation by registering a case in August 2021 and subsequently filed a supplementary chargesheet in September 2021 against 20 accused, including the 15 previously identified by the city police.