Kolkata, Dec 9 (IANS) A court in West Bengal’s Barasat on Tuesday dismissed the bail application of expelled Trinamool Congress leader Sajal Sarkar in the murder case of a gold trader.

Sajal, the former president of the Trinamool’s Cooch Behar-II block, was arrested on November 13.

The public prosecutor argued that there was a case against Sajal earlier. That document has been submitted to the court. Apart from that, proof of his presence at the crime scene on October 28 has also been presented to the court. After that, the judge rejected Sajal’s bail application.

The public prosecutor complained in the court premises that after Rajganj Block Development Officer (BDO) Prashant Barman got interim bail, the wife of the deceased gold trader is being constantly pressured to withdraw the case.

She is in Odisha at present. The public prosecutor claimed that she is also being threatened not to return to West Bengal. The government lawyer also argued in court why Sajal should not be granted bail.

According to him, they have shown evidence in court that Sajal was present at various places on the day of the crime, including New Town.

It may be noted that Sajal was accused of anti-party activities even before his name was implicated in the murder of gold trader Swapan Kamilya.

According to Trinamool sources, he was issued a show-cause notice. But he did not reply to the letter. He was expelled from the party after his name was implicated in the murder of the gold trader.

Earlier, the Bidhannagar Police recently moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Rajganj BDO Prashant Barman, who is accused of murdering the gold trader in the Duttabad area.

In its petition, officers of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate have opposed the bail, claiming that the BDO submitted forged documents to get the anticipatory bail in the murder case.

On October 28, gold trader Swapan Kamilya was taken away from a gold shop in the Duttabad area in Kolkata in a car with a blue beacon in connection with the theft of gold jewellery. Later, while filing a missing person’s diary at Bidhannagar South Police Station, the family members came to know that a person’s body was in the Jatragachi area of New Town. They identified the body after seeing Swapan’s picture. After this, a case was registered against the assailants under the kidnapping and murder sections. The family of the deceased gold trader alleged that Rajganj BDO Prashant Barman is involved in the murder, and the entire incident was masterminded by him.

The family alleged that the BDO kidnapped and killed the gold trader. During the investigation of this incident, the Bidhannagar Police arrested five persons in connection with the incident, including BDO’s driver Raju Dhali, BDO’s close friend Tufan Thapa, Cooch Behar Trinamool leader Sajal Sarkar and his brother Vivekananda Sarkar.

It has been alleged that after the murder, an attempt was made to dispose of the body in a car with a government blue light. As a result, questions began to arise about the role of the BDO in the murder from the very beginning.

–IANS

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