CBI summons Mamata Banerjee's election agent in post poll violence case

New Delhi, Sep 15: The CBI has summoned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's election agent Sheik Sufian on Thursday in connection with a murder case allegedly related to post poll violence in Nandigram from where the TMC supremo had unsuccessfully contested, officials said.

The case pertains to fatal attack on Debabrata Maity by unidentified people in Nandigram on May 3. Maity succumbed to injuries 10 days later while undergoing treatment, they said.

Nandigram had seen a high-pitched electoral battle between Banerjee and her confidante turned-rival Shuvendu Adhikari which was narrowly clinched by the latter. Sufian, a TMC leader, was also a complainant in connection with alleged attack on Banerjee during poll campaign.

The probe agency, meanwhile, has taken over one more case of murder related to alleged post-poll violence in West Bengal, taking the tally of such cases registered by the agency so far to 35, officials said on Wednesday. The case was filed by one Gobindo Burman against 12 accused people who allegedly hurled bombs and fired at a voting booth in Cooch Behar where Burman and his family members had gone to cast their votes on April 10, the FIR alleged.

Burman alleged that one of the accused fired targeting his brother who fell on the ground and later succumbed to injuries while being taken to the hospital, they said. ''One of the 12 miscreants allegedly opened fire targeting the complainant's brother... The victim was taken to Sitalkuchi hospital where he was declared dead. The FIR was registered against 12 accused.

''CBI has so far registered 35 cases, taking over the investigation of these cases earlier registered at different police stations in West Bengal, in compliance with the orders of the Honourable High Court at Calcutta,'' CBI spokesperson R C Joshi said.

The agency took over the investigation into the post poll violence on the orders of the Calcutta High Court.

The court directives came after an NHRC committee submitted a report on the violence in the state after the poll results were announced on May 2, declaring the astounding victory of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) humbling the BJP in a bitterly fought eight-phase electoral battle.