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CID starts probe into alleged suicide of Suvendu Adhikari’s security guard
The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday initiated a fresh probe into the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari’s security guard who reportedly died by suicide in 2018, officials said
The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday initiated a fresh probe into the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari’s security guard who reportedly died by suicide in 2018, officials said.
On Saturday the victim’s wife lodged a three-page complaint with the local police in Purba Medinipur district demanding a fresh probe into her husband’s death.
According to the police, the victim, Suvabrata Chakraborty, allegedly shot himself with his service revolver in October 2018. Chakraborty was the former security guard of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who was then state transport minister in the Mamata Banerjee administration. He succumbed two days later.
Adhikari, however, sided with the BJP in December 2020 just ahead of the state assembly elections. Even though the TMC returned to power with a sweeping victory, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who contested from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, was defeated by Adhikari, her protégé-turned-adversary. Adhikari is now the leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly.
“A CID team came to our house on Monday. They wanted to know what exactly happened on that day – October 13, 2018. We requested them to unearth the truth. Even if it was a suicide, we want to know why did he die by suicide,” said a relative of Chakraborty, who didn’t wish to be named.
Even though the victim’s wife Suparna Kanjilal Chakraborty lodged a complaint with the local police and the cops started an investigation, the CID took over the case initiating a fresh probe.
“From the beginning, I had doubts about my husband’s death,” Suparna Kanjilal Chakraborty wrote in the complaint letter.
She also wrote, “As Adhikari was a powerful man both at the state and district level, and I used to stay with my two daughters, I could not gather the courage to say anything. But now situations have changed and I thought I may get justice.”
The complainant also wrote that when her brother-in-law raised doubts over the ‘suicide theory’ behind Suvabrata Chakraborty’s death, one Rakhal Bera, a close aide of Adhikari told them that Adhikari was unhappy.
Incidentally, Bera has already been arrested by the Kolkata Police in early June in connection with a job racket. He is now in custody.
