BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Monirul Islam chargesheeted in triple murder case
Kolkata: Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy and Labhpur MLA of Birbhum Monirul Islam, who defected from the Trinamul Congress under Mr Roy's guidance to the saffron camp this year, have been chargesheeted in a triple murder in the district.
They stand accused in a list of 23 accused who have been named in the chargesheet submitted by the police before the additional chief judicial magistrate of the Bolpur Court on December 4.
While Mr Islam faces murder charge, criminal intimidation charge has been slapped on Mr Roy, sources revealed. Hitting out at Trinamul supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee Mr Roy told this newspaper, "I do not know anything. The incident took place in Labhpur in 2010. All on a sudden my name has been tagged in the case. According to me, Ms Banerjee is the mastermind of all killings including the Nandigram masscare till 2011."
The BJP national executive committee member added, "If I am asked to depose my statement under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, I would then certainly state that she was the brain behind all those murders. I demand all those cases be relooked and she must involved in those cases too. I will definitely challenge the chargesheet against me legally." On the charges against him, he however said, "I am yet to know anything." Mr Islam was not available for his comments.
Countering Mr Roy, Trinamul secretary general Partha Chatterjee wondered, "Why would there be politics of revenge? Whatever they (BJP) find, they always putthe blame either on the Trinamul or its government. Those who do not commit offence should not be panicked." The triple murder had taken place on June 3 in 2010 over sand mining activities from the banks of river Ajoy in Labhpur.
The three victims-- Danu Sheikh (55), Kutun Sheikh (48) and Oishoddin Sheikh (45)-- were the CPI(M) workers. All of them were brothers. Their family members lodged a complaint with the police that they were beaten to death by a group of Trinamul Congress workers at a kangaroo court on Mr Islam's order after they had resisted his activities. Mr Islam, who was in the Forward Bloc, a Left Front partner, then, joined the Trinamul later.
He has been the MLA of Labhpur since 2011 when the Trinamul came to power. At a party rally at Saithia in 2014 he also boasted of how he trampled the three CPI(M) workers to death. A case on murder charge was initiated against 52 accused including Mr Islam. In 2014 the district police submitted its chargesheet to the court against 42. The chargesheet however did not contain Mr Islam's name.
Dissatisfied, the three victims' families moved the Calcutta High Court which recently ordered re-investigation and directed the police to submit its chargesheet before the local court within three months. On November 16 this year the re-investigation began.
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