Cops seize tree branches as ‘sharp’ murder weapons

The SP,S N Mirza,said the police could not arrest any of the 18 other persons named in the FIR and there was no interrogation of the arrested because the police had already seized the murder weapons.

Asked about the seizure list,the SP said some tree branches,a bamboo stick and a stone were recovered from the spot. The assistant PP in the case in Burdwan court,Biswajit Das,corroborated that two tree branches,a bamboo stick and a stone were shown as the “seizure list” by the police. The FIR however,mentioned the use of spears and other sharp cutting weapons,none of which has been seized.

If police were reticent in the investigation,Trinamool Congress leaders and party supporters took centrestage. Aloke Das,a TMC observer for the district,visited the accused in jail and assured them that the Block Trinamool Congress leaders would provide all legal and other support to them. Asked if the arrested men would be released by the next date of hearing on March 7,Das said “the high command has not yet given any direction”. But local TMC leaders said Law Minister Malay Ghatak was monitoring the case and would take necessary steps.

Pritha,the daughter of Pradip Tah — the ex-CPM MLA who was killed — told The Indian Express that the police had met the family today and inquired about the killing.

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One officer indicated that the police were not getting any witnesses,which might make the case “weak.” Some policemen reportedly misbehaved with the family,who were considering lodging a complaint with the state women’s commission,Pritha said. SP Mirza said no complaint had been lodged with him in this regard.

Preliminary inquiry has revealed that the political rivalry between Tah and the accused men was largely because of financial interests involved in control of trade union bodies in 14 medium and small sponge iron factories,brick kilns and paper mills under their territorial jurisdiction.

At Tah’s home in Mirzapur,no male members were found today. Close to his house is Surajeet Tah’s house – a close relative of Patitpaban Tah,who is one of those arrested on murder charges. Surajeet,son of a retired railway employee,runs a money-lending business. The elderly man and his neighbours said Patitpaban was an important leader in the area and played a crucial role in the last Assembly election,though CPM managed to retain the seat.

Pradip Tah was a well-known trade union leader in Burdwan district,who enjoyed absolute control over sponge iron and other industrial units in the area till the Trinamool Congress began overpowering the Left since 2009,and Patitpaban Tah emerged as a rival from that locality. Patitpaban was a Congress trade union leader and became the block president of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union (INTTU) after he shifted allegiance to the TMC. He was gradually taking control of the trade union bodies in the industrial units in Burdwan town and its outskirts.

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