The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday announced replacement of its investigation officer probing the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar at Kankurgachi in north Kolkata in violence following the results of 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

The new investigating officer in the matter will be Bibek Ranjan Roy, a Deputy Superintendent of Police rank officer. Roy replaces S. Gayen, an Additional Superintendent of Police rank officer.

The change came just days after the victim’s mother complained to the Calcutta High Court that she is being threatened by goons not to open her mouth about her son’s death either to the central investigative agency or to the court.

This the second time that the CBI has changed the investigating officer in the matter. Earlier in April last year, the central agency had brought in Gayen, replacing the previous investing officer Ajay Kumar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police rank officer.

The murder of Sarkar is one of the post-poll violence cases in which CBI is conducting a probe. Sarkar was murdered near his residence at Kankurgachi in the evening after the results were announced following which Trinamool Congress came to power with Mamata Banerjee as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term.

The CBI has already filed a charge sheet in the matter named 20 persons as accused, some of whom had been arrested while some are absconding. Recently the family members of the deceased have raised complaints about the slow progress of the CBI probe in the matter. They have also complained of immense pressure on them by the ruling party activists and leaders to withdraw the case in the matter.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)