Published on: Jul 02, 2025 07:10 pm IST
CBI has filed second supplementary chargesheet in BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar’s murder case against 18 additional accused persons
Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named a legislator and two civic councillors of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the agency’s second supplementary chargesheet in the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker during post-poll clashes in 2021.
This is the first time the agency has named TMC leaders in the case. A senior CBI official said that Paresh Paul, TMC MLA from Beleghata in Kolkata, Swapan Samaddar, councillor of ward number 56 and Papiya Ghosh, councillor of ward 30 in Kolkata were named in the supplementary chargesheet.
“CBI has filed second supplementary chargesheet in Abhijit Sarkar’s murder case against 18 additional accused persons, including one MLA and two councillors before the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Sealdah on June 30,” the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
Also named in the supplementary chargesheet are three police personnel, including a lady police personnel, who were posted in Narkeldanga police station in May 2021 when the BJP worker was murdered allegedly by TMC workers.
Hours after the results of the 2021 assembly election were announced on May 2, 2021 and the ruling-TMC returned to power in the state for the third time in a row, Sarkar was murdered allegedly by some TMC workers in Kolkata’s Narkeldanga area.
“A mob tied a television wire around my brother’s neck and dragged him along the road. They smashed his head with a stone,” said Biswasjit Sarkar, brother of the deceased.
“This chargesheet is nothing but a political leaflet. It has been filed under pressure from the BJP as the assembly elections are coming. A chargesheet is not the ultimate truth. This won’t stand in the court,” Kunal Ghosh, TMC leader told the media.
Last week, CBI arrested Arun Dey, alias Bhai (brother), one of the prime accused in the case, after a search of four years.
The Kolkata Police’s detective department, which was initially probing into the murder case, had filed its chargesheet on August 6, 2021. They had named 15 persons. The names of Paul, Samaddar and Ghosh were not there in the police chargesheet.
Later, on August 19, 2021 the Calcutta high court ordered CBI to probe into the case. The federal agency took over the case and filed a first information report (FIR) on August 25, 2021. CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet on September 30, 2021 and named 20 persons, including the 15 persons named in the chargesheet filed by the Kolkata Police.
“I don’t know anything about this. So, I won’t comment,” Paul said.
“This was waiting to happen. There were allegations that these leaders had incited TMC workers through their speeches,” said Samik Bhattacharya, BJP Rajya Sabha member and spokesperson.