The Bengal CPM has supported the Congress demand for a court-monitored CBI probe into the murder of Congress councillor Tapan Kandu in Purulia’s Jhalda.

CPM central committee member and former MP Sujan Chakraborty visited the residence of the slain councillor in Jhalda on Saturday and made the demand for a CBI probe into the murder.

“Police and criminals are working in tandem with the Trinamul. This is a political conspiracy,” said Chakraborty after his visit to the Kandu residence.

“A Congress councillor was killed so that Trinamul could form the board. Everyday the inspector-in-charge of Jhalda police station called the slain councillor to pressurise him to join his party. The IC has formed a party. This cannot be a case to be probed by a special investigation team. We demand court-monitored CBI probe.

The CPM leader made the comment days after the state Congress president and leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury had placed a similar demand on the floor of the Lok Sabha, earlier this week. The 49-year-old Kandu was killed last Sunday evening. The Purulia district police has formed a special investigation team, though the family members have demanded a CBI probe.

In her complaint filed with the Jhalda police station, the slain councillor’s wife, Purnima has named the inspector-in-charge of Jhalda Sanjib Ghosh, the victim’s brother Naren Kandu and nephew Deepak. The Purulia police have arrested Deepak, who had contested in the civic polls unsuccessfully against his late uncle.

“Why has the IC of Jhalda police station not been arrested yet? As the minister-in-charge of Home (Police) department doesn’t the chief minister have a responsibility?” asked Chakraborty. “The state police cannot be trusted with a probe against one of their own. This is a ploy to hide the real culprits.”

Earlier this week, speaking on the state Home (Police) department budget, Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the Jhalda councillor’s murder was a fallout of a family dispute which has been given political colour.

In the 12-member Jhalda municipality, which went to polls along with 107 other civic bodies, the Congress and the Trinamul had won five wards each while two elected independents, thus throwing a hung board.

Both the Congress and the CPM have alleged that Kandu was killed to tilt the formation of the board in the Trinamul’s favour. Questions were also raised on the Bengal police’s role in the murder of student-activist Anis Khan, who died a month ago, at his residence in a village in Howrah’s Amta. After the arrest of a Home Guard and a civic volunteer, the special investigation team is yet to trace the killers or the motive behind the murder.

A single bench of the Calcutta high court has given the SIT one month to probe the murder of Anis Khan.