Key accused in Barasat rape-murder is TMC strongman

Ansar,the nephew of Trinamool anchal pradhan Asraf Ali Mollah,is a known strongman of the ruling party. His aunt,Sahidai Biwi,wife of Asraf,is the Trinamool panchayat pradhan in Kirtipur Anchal II. However,when Ansar emerged as the prime accused in the rape-murder case,the Trinamool quickly disowned him,branding him a CPM cadre.

Asraf reluctantly admitted that he was Ansar’s relative. “Ansar lives close to our home. In a village,where everybody stays together,everybody is a relative. But that does not mean he belongs to my family.”

According to the official records,Ansar was also arrested a couple of years ago for rioting in the nearby Parkharibari village

Jyotipriya Mallick,cabinet minister in-charge of North 24-Parganas district,said,“All the eight people (arrested in the case) used to be members of the private army of CPM strongman Majid Master. His murder syndicates killed 92 people in the area in 34 years. Ansar used to be the right-hand man of Majid Master,from whom he learnt the tactics of capturing fish ponds.”

There has always been politics over control of fish ponds in the district. Spanning a total of 10,000 acres of land here,they are a source of funds for the parties. As of now,the fish ponds are controlled by Ansar and his associates.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took Majid Master’s name at a public meeting in Barasat today. “All those arrested were cadres of Master’s army. Everybody knows that he used to control the area; he was a terror in this area.

Saiful Ali,another accused in the case,was fined Rs 16,000 some six months ago for molesting a woman in the village.

The third accused,Aminur Darbar of Parkharibari village,belongs to a hardcore CPM family. The fourth accused,Aminoor,who worked at a marble factory,joined Ansar’s syndicate after the 2009 parliamentary elections.

Noor Ali Hossain,another accused,is a butcher. Emanul,the sixth accused,is a close associate of Ansar.

Bhutto Ali,a resident of Rajarhat,joined Ansar’s group as a muscle man. Gopal and Bholanath Nashkar are of the the same village as the victim. The accused duo guarded Ansar’s fish pond.