By IANS,
Kolkata : Reiterating the charge that the arrest of its West Bengal party leader Sushanta Ghosh in the Midnapore skeleton case was politically motivated, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday alleged that the complainant himself was an offender.
“It is getting clear that the arrest of Sushanta Ghosh is an example of politics of vendetta. Shyamal Acharya, on whose complaint the arrest has been made, is himself an offender,” state CPI-M secretary Biman Bose told mediapersons here.
“Huge quantity of arms and ammunition was seized from his (Acharya’s) house a year back. His case was not dealt with but Ghosh was arrested on the basis of a complaint made nine years ago. Why the police are not taking up case against Acharya? All the facts are not being considered,” said Bose.
Ghosh was arrested Aug 11 after his anticipatory bail was cancelled by a West Midnapore court.
It is alleged that Ajay Acharya and some other members of the Trinamool Congress were attacked by armed people allegedly belonging to the CPI-M Sep 22, 2002.
Ghosh was one of the 40 people named in the first information report (FIR) filed after the incident. Seven of the Trinamool members were brutally killed, the FIR claimed.
The victims, including Ajay Acharya, were untraceable since then. But June 4, the skeletons were recovered and led to the arrest of two of Ghosh’s aides.
Ghosh took anticipatory bail after Shyamal Acharya, filed a police complaint that one of the skeletons was of his father, Ajay Acharya.
DNA tests by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory here have confirmed the identity of Acharya and that of another missing Trinamool worker, Swapan Singha alias Raju Singha.
Ghosh who is currently under CID custody has declared an indefinite fast and accused police of mentally harassing him.
Speaking on the issue, Bose said: “He (Ghosh) has said he is being mentally tortured. If it is true then it is not at all acceptable to us. It is getting clear that political vendetta is the motive behind all this.”
Asked why the Left Front meeting held during the day did not discuss Ghosh’s arrest, Bose said that “was not part of the agenda”.
Bose said there prevailed an ‘atmosphere of terror’ across the state and people in several districts are apprehensive of their lives.
“Against this terror atmosphere, we will stage a demonstration in Delhi Aug 22. If after the demonstration the condition doesn’t change then we will take suitable steps. What steps we will take will be declared in September,” he said.