Suhrid arrest a political conspiracy: Jyoti Basu

Kolkata, Jun 28: Suggesting that the CBI acted under outside pressure, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu today said the arrest of Suhrid Dutta, Singur zonal committee Secretary of the CPI(M), in connection with the Tapasi Malik murder case was a political conspiracy.

"The subject is now sub-judice. But our party thinks that it is a conspiracy... the party will defend Suhrid Dutta," he told reporters after attending the CPI(M) state secreretariat meeting.

Mr Basu said the fact that the body of Tapasi Malik was found inside the fenced area of the Tata Motors's small car project led to the suspicion of a conspiracy against the CPI(M).

He, however, said it was up to the court to pronounce a judgement on the case.

His comment came a day after CBI sleuths apprehended Dutta following prolonged interrogation in what turned out to be a major embarrassment for the CPI(M).

Earlier, Debu Malik, a Singur resident and a CPI(M) supporter, was arrested as the prime suspect following a narco-analysis test in Delhi.

Both Dutta and Malik were produced by the CBI in the Hooghly district court at Chandannagar today.

The charred body of 18-year-old Tapasi, stated to be an activist of the Trinamool Congress-led Krishi Jami Raksha Committee, was found inside the project area, away from her home at Singur in Hooghly district on December 18 last year during the height of the anti-land acquisition movement. While forensic report confirmed that Tapasi was burnt alive, it was also believed that she had been raped.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee sought a CBI investigation into the incident following opposition demand.
Reacting immediately after Dutta's arrest, CPI(M) Central Committee member Benoy Konar alleged yesterday that it was a political conspiracy, of which CBI was a party. Refusing to see it as a political murder, Mr Konar argued that the CPI(M) did not have anything to gain out of it knowing well that such an incident would have repercussions against the industrialisation process.

Though echoing Mr Konar, Mr Basu was less harsh with the central agency: "CBI officials are also human beings. They may have pressure on them," he said.

In reply to a question as to whose pressure it could be from the ruling UPA at the Centre which was in friendly terms with the Left parties, the nonagenarian leader said, "there is no reason to think that the Prime Minister is putting pressure." Earlier, Debu was produced in a Delhi court on Sunday last for allegedly killing Tapasi, who was stated to be an activist of the Trinamool Congress-led Krishi Jami Raksha Committee which was spearheading an agitation against land acquisition for the project.

As his arrest provided fodder to the Trinamool Congress in its camapaign against the CPI(M), Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Wednesday last that the guilty would be punished irrespective of party affiliation.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged that the CPI(M) was still trying to "manipulate and hush up" the case to bail out the accused.

"It is now proved who have killed Tapasi. She was raped and burnt alive. Ever since the murder, the CPI(M) has been trying to hush up the case. It is still trying to manipulate it," she said.

UNI