Four Years on the Run: CBI Nabs Key Accused in Abhijit Sarkar Murder Case
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 26th June: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Arun Dey, one of the prime accused in the Abhijit Sarkar murder case, nearly four years after the brutal killing of the BJP worker during the 2021 post-poll violence in West Bengal.
Abhijit Sarkar, 35, was among 18 people killed in the wave of political violence that engulfed the state following the assembly election results in May 2021. The case, originally registered at the Narkeldanga Police Station, was handed over to the CBI after an order from the Calcutta High Court, which directed a probe into incidents of post-poll violence.
According to the FIR, Arun Dey was one of 20 people named in the murder case. With his arrest, 15 accused have now been apprehended while five remain absconding.
CBI sources revealed that Dey had been constantly changing his location to evade arrest. He was finally tracked down and arrested from his daughter’s residence, ending a four-year-long manhunt. He was produced before a court in Kolkata today and has been sent to judicial custody.
Abhijit’s brother Biswajit Sarkar, who has been at the forefront of the fight for justice, expressed both relief and frustration over the pace of the investigation.
“It took the CBI four years to find one accused. Five Investigation Officers have been changed in between. I don’t know if my mother and I will ever get justice,” Biswajit told NDTV.
He further alleged that over 30 men had dragged his brother out of their home in north Kolkata, using cable wires to choke him before bludgeoning him to death, allegedly at the hands of Trinamool Congress workers.
“I sit for hours at the CBI office, begging for justice. I call the officer every week hoping for a breakthrough. But with just six months to go for the next assembly elections, my brother’s killers still roam free,” he added.
The murder took place in broad daylight on the same day the Trinamool Congress secured a third consecutive term in office. The incident became one of the most high-profile cases in the string of post-election violence incidents that drew national outrage.
CBI officials confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing, and efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining accused.
