Bengal post-poll violence: Arrest warrant issued against four Trinamool leaders

Kolkata, Jan 2 (IANS) A court in West Bengal's East Midnapore district on Monday issued arrest warrants against four Trinamool Congress leaders in connection with a post-poll violence probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the murder of BJP worker Debabrata Das at Nandigram in the district.

The warrants issued by the Haldia sub-division court include the name of Sheikh Sufian, who was the election agent of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the high- profile "battle for Nandigram" in the 2021 Assembly elections. In that high- profile battle, she ultimately got defeated by BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who is currently the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly.

The other three against whom the arrest warrant has been issued include Abu Taher, Sheikh Amanulla and Sheikh Kushobi. It is learnt that CBI has recently filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case that was registered at Nandigram police station.

In that charge sheet, the central agency sleuths besides the four also mentioned the names of two other persons, namely Sheikh Saiyam Kazi and Sheikh Samsuddoah. They are charged under Sections 147 and 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

The CBI informed the court that though Kazi and Samsuddoah were cooperating in the course of investigation, the remaining four were in total non-cooperation mode and hence, an arrest warrant be issued against them.

The CBI has already arrested 12 persons in connection with the investigation, which include the son-in-law of Sheikh Sufian as well.