West Bengal journalist's abduction: Trinamool Yuva Congress leader under scanner

Kolkata, Aug 4: The absence of Chayan Sarkar, the journalist from West Bengal continues to be a mystery. With people comparing it to another Vyapam scam, Sarkar a district correspondent with the Uttar Banga Sambad has been missing since August 2 and the criminal investigating department or the CID has taken up the case.

A while ago, CID officials visited the spot where Sarkar had gone missing. A 35 member team visited Alipurudar, Sarkar's home town and collected documents in relation to the case.

The CID is currently analyzing the threats that were reported by Sarkar. He had in fact named persons in a complaint for allegedly threatening him for writing a story on bribery involved in college admission. [Bengal journalist goes missing after college corruption story]

CID will probe into admission racket:

It has been widely alleged that it is those members part of a huge admission racket in West Bengal who are behind this incident. The CID during its inspection has collected Sarkar's note book and purse which was lying at the spot.

Prima facie it is clear that he was forcibly taken away from some members as the crime scene does give that indication an officer informed OneIndia.

Officials will examine the complaint given by Sarkar against 8 persons who were threatening him. The 8 persons were arrested after his complaint and it could well their accomplices part of this major admission racket who could be behind the alleged abduction, officials also say.

The officials, however, point out that while the larger picture would be looked into, the first priority would be to secure Sarkar's release.

The investigators are also looking for Trinamool Yuva Congress president Samar Bhattacharya who has been named as the main accused. His name had cropped up in the complaint following an attack on Sarkar's house by the Trinamool Yuva Congress and its students wing.

A major racket unearthed:

Chayan Sarkar's article shook up many in the state. His article that was published on July 28 in the widely circulated newspaper that he worked for was relating to the admissions to graduation courses in colleges in Alipurduar. He had alleged that huge sums of money was being demanded from candidates and this was a major racket.

It was further alleged that many workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress Party were also involved in this scam. This charge was, however, denied by the Trinamool Congress which said that attempts were made to malign the party. The Chief Minister has already ordered a CID probe into the matter and the truth would come out, TMC workers said.

However, after the report had been published members of the Trinamool Student's Union raised slogans against the reporter. The group even marched to his home and threatened to kill his parents.

The FIR filed by Sarkar:

The protests and the death threats led Sarkar to filing the complaint. He named Samar Bhattacharya, and even stated that he was getting death threats from him. He accused Bhattacharya of threatening him with dire consequences over the report he had published.

The police arrested Subho Saha, Rintu Hossain, Raju Roy Adhikari, Manish Chakraborty, Biman Barman, Sukanto Debnath, Jayanta Debnath and Partho Shil following his complaint. The efforts now would be to trace Samar Bhattacharya who is said to be absconding after the complaint was filed.

OneIndia News