WB: Suhrid Dutta, Debu Malik remanded

Chandannagore, W Bengal, June 29: A district court today remanded Suhrid Dutta, Singur zonal committee Secretary of the CPI (M), and a party supporter in CBI custody as police lathicharged demonstrators who were demanding exemplary punishment of the accused in the Tapasi Malik murder case.

While Dutta was arrested yesterday, Debu Malik, the prime suspect in the case, was apprehended earlier following a narco-analysis test in Chandigarh.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Pradip Bandopadhyay also granted a CBI plea for lie detection test of Dutta at the Central Forensic Laboratory in Delhi.

Dutta and Malik were remanded in CBI custody till July 11 and 6 respectively.

The charred body of 18-year-old Tapasi Malik, a member of the Singur Krishi Jami Raksha Committee, was recovered from the fenced area of the Tata Motors' small car project on December 18 last year triggering a political outcry.

The family of the victim alleged that the girl was raped and murdered by CPI(M) men to settle a political vendetta for her participation in the anti-land acquisition movement.

As both the accused were being taken out of the court amid heavy security, supporters of different opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress and SUCI, clashed with police demanding capital punishment of the two.

The police resorted to lathicharge as the demonstrators refused to clear the blockade.

During the hearing, CBI counsellor Tapas Basu appealed that the accused be remanded for 14 days for the sake of further investigation.

Describing Tapasi Malik's murder as a 'symbolic' one, the CBI counsellor said the act was deliberate and aimed at stalling the anti-land acquisition movement at Singur.

Moving a bail petition for Debu Malik, his lawyer Kishor Mondal said the accused was a victim of a conspiracy and the confession he had made was extracted under duress.

He said what the CBI counsellor said in the court about the motive of the murder was being openly alleged by the Trinamool Congress for the past few months.

Mr Keshab Mukherjee, defence cousellor for Suhrid Dutta, made a plea that his client be granted bail considering his age.

While overruling both the bail petitions, the judge ordered that Dutta and Malik be produced in the court on July 12 and 7 respectively.

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.

SUCI state secretary Provash Ghosh said his party would launch a massive seven-day agitational programme from tomorrow throughout the state, demanding arrest and punishment of Singur and Nandigram culprits.

He said after CBI arrested CPI(M) leader Debu Malik for the Tapashi Malik murder case, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and state party secretary Biman Bose said law took its own course.

But when party's zonal committee member in Hooghly district Suhrid Dutta was arrested, CPI(M) central committee member Binoy Konar said it was a political conspiracy, Mr Ghosh stated.

Reacting to the comment made by Bose, he said, " If law takes its own course for the Malik murder case, why they are terming it as a political conspiracy after arresting Mr Dutta. " 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.

UNI