Police have arrested a BJP leader in connection with the murder of Noapara Trinamul leader Gopal Majumdar who was shot dead near his home on Saturday night.
Bijoy Mukhopadhyay, vice-president of BJP’s Barrackpore organisation district and a close aide of Barrackpore BJP MP Arjun Singh, was picked up from home within hours of the murder.
After a night-long interrogation at Noapara police station, he was shown arrested on a murder charge and produced before a court in Barrackpore on Sunday morning.
Police sources claimed he was arrested after probe revealed he threatened Majumdar with dire consequences following an altercation on January 25. A similar complaint was lodged by Majumdar’s family with Noapara police.
“We have interrogated him and found inconsistencies in his statement. However, all other possible angles are being looked into ,” a senior officer of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate told this paper.
Noapara police sources said Mukhopadhyay was charged with murder, conspiracy, common intention of crime and possessing arms illegally.
Around 9.30pm on Saturday, Majumdar, 61, husband of Sipra, a Trinamul coordinator of ward 3 of North Barrackpore municipality, was shot by unidentified persons in Babji colony of Ichhapore, and hacked with sharp weapons.
Trinamul leader and forest minister Jyotipriyo Mullick accused BJP MP Arjun Singh and refused to share stage with the BJP leader at a event in Barrackpore Gandhi Ghat on Sunday. “One of my colleagues was killed last night. I am not in a position to share the stage with a man I suspect had a role in the murder,” he said.
Singh claimed Majumdar’s murder was the fallout of Trinamul’s infighting over share of contractual work at the Ishapore Rifle Factory.
“Police have implicated Bijoy (Mukhopadhyay) under pressure by Trinamul leadership to hide the infighting,” Singh said. “Bijoy had never threatened Gopal Majumder, rather he was attacked by Trinamul supporters. He also lodged a police complaint. But police unfortunately without any proper investigation arrested him.”
