Kolkata, June 28 : Sheikh Saifuddin, the prime accused in the murder of Prashant Dey, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker from Bagnan in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district, was arrested on Sunday, within 12 hours of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s commitment for strong action in the matter.
This is the 11th arrest in the murder case by a joint team of Howrah District Police and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police.
The CID took over the investigation into the matter on June 21 following the Chief Minister’s instruction. A total of 51 people were named as accused in the FIR registered in the matter.
After the arrest of 11 accused persons, 40 are still missing.
The accused Sheikh Saifuddin will be presented before a district court in Howrah later in the day, and the public prosecutor will seek his CID custody.
On Saturday evening, the Chief Minister went to the residence of the deceased party worker at Bagnan and met his family members. Along with announcing compensation to the family, he also assured them of justice.
From the residence of the deceased party worker, CM Adhikari went to the Bagnan police station and discussed the case with police officers and CID officials. There, he insisted on the arrest of the remaining accused.
CM Adhikari explained that no one would be spared in Prashant’s case. He said that, if necessary, investigators would have to dig deep to find the accused.
According to him, a few people were brutally attacked with deadly weapons on June 17, and many were injured.
A few are still undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kolkata, where surgery was performed, and they are being treated under the special supervision of the state government, the CM said.
He added that, sadly, Prashant could not be saved, and that he had been following the matter since the first day.
The Howrah District Magistrate’s Office has already given the family a compensation of Rs 4 lakh. On Saturday, Adhikari announced that another Rs 5 lakh would be given from the Chief Minister’s Fund. At the same time, he announced that his elder daughter would be given a contract-based job at the BDO office.
–IANS
