CBI: TMC polling agent ‘wreaked vengeance’
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s polling agent “wreaked vengeance” on Hindus for her electoral loss in Nandigram in the 2021 assembly election, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told the Supreme Court.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief had lost to her former aide-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Suvendu Adhikari from the seat.
In its affidavit opposing the pre-arrest bail plea of Sk Supian, the polling agent, in connection with the alleged murder of a BJP supporter after the results were declared, the agency said he hatched a criminal conspiracy “to teach a lesson to Hindus, who voted for BJP resulting in loss of the TMC candidate (Banerjee) in Nandigram assembly constituency”. It added that Supian allegedly carried out violent attacks on local villagers, causing the death of one Debabrata Maity.
“As per the records of the investigations conducted so far, all of this was done by the petitioner (Supian) to send a political message that any political opposition would be punished with death, grievous injuries and with extreme mental trauma. It is submitted that the aforesaid acts of commission constitute heinous offences against the society and destroys the very fabric of the body polity of the state,” said the affidavit, reviewed by HT.
The agency added that Supian is being investigated for a heinous offence planned and executed in furtherance of his motive of seeking “political revenge from a section of society that refused to toe the line and refused to follow the voting pattern in accordance with his political ideology and allegiance and did not vote for his party in the assembly elections”.
“While commissioning the said offence, the petitioner not only organised, instigated and mobilised the crowd comprising of co-accused but also led them to riot, murder and inflict grievous physical injuries on the section of society which did not vote as per his diktats and voted for other parties, due to which the candidate (Banerjee), of whom the petitioner was an election agent, lost the election,” said the affidavit.
The CBI maintained that Supian could elude the law because of “the lackadaisical investigation conducted by the local police” and “lack of effective prosecution”. After the CBI took over the investigation in August 2021 following a Calcutta high court order, relevant documents were gathered, seized and several eye-witnesses to the alleged incident in Chillagram village on May 3, 2021, were examined, it added.
The BJP alleged widespread post-poll violence after the results of the assembly elections were declared on May 2 last year. The high court in June asked the National Human Rights Commission to form a seven-member committee to look into the matter. The panel submitted its final report on July 13, recommending a CBI probe, and that trials be held outside the state.
In its counter affidavit, the state government argued the committee was set up to “spearhead a witch hunt” against Banerjee’s government and was a concerted effort to discredit a democratically elected government.
In its affidavit, the CBI said the investigation revealed that Supian was the key accused person involved in mobilising the crowd and planning violent activities committed on their political opponents on May 3, 2021. “He has been identified by the eyewitnesses whose statements have been recorded by the judicial magistrate. The eyewitnesses have categorically stated that petitioner accused was the main man behind the alleged heinous offence of attack/murder of Debabrata Maity,” said the affidavit.
THE AGENCY SAYS MAMATA’S POLLING AGENT HATCHED A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY ‘TO TEACH A LESSON TO HINDUS, WHO VOTED FOR BJP’