The CBI on Friday arrested Trinamul Congress leader Samarendra Gayali and ruling party activist Piyush Bhakta for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape and murder of a minor girl in Nadia’s Hanskhali on April 4.

Sources in the CBI, which is probing the Hanskhali case following an order of Calcutta High Court, said 57-year-old Samarendra, who is a ruling party strong man in Hanskhali, had been accused of conspiracy and destroying evidence in the gang-rape and murder case. Samarendra and his close aide Piyush will be produced before the ACJM court in Ranaghat on Saturday, the source added.

Samarendra, who represents Trinamul in the Gajna gram panchayat, is the father of Sohail (alias Brajo) Gayali, who is the prime accused in the case and had been arrested earlier along with five of his friends.

CBI and local sources said Samarendra was arrested following interrogation at the investigative agency’s camp office in Krishnagar on Friday. The Trinamul leader was called for a second round of questioning on Friday after he was let off after initial interrogation earlier this week.

Samarendra’s son Sohail and his friends had allegedly gang-raped the minor girl at his home during a birthday party held on April 4. The girl returned home bleeding excessively and died without treatment the next morning. When the news of the girl’s death spread, the Trinamul leader and his aides allegedly used their political clout to take away the body at gunpoint. The body was then cremated at an unauthorised crematorium in the village apparently to destroy evidence of the crime committed by Sohail and his friends.

Even though his name did not figure in the formal police complaint lodged by the girl’s mother, Samarendra was arrested as his name cropped up during the course of probe.

“He played a big role to destroy evidence, suppress facts by threatening the girl’s parents in a desperate attempt to save his son,” a CBI official said.

Earlier on the day, an additional district & session judge of Ranaghat ACJM court rejected the bail petitions of five accused who were arrested for their suspected involvement in the Hanshkhali case. The bail plea of the other accused, a minor boy, was rejected by a juvenile court in Krishnagar.

On Friday, the CBI team had produced the five accused — Sohail (alias Brajo), Prabhakar Poddar, Ranjit Mullick, Akash Barui, and Dipto Gayali — on expiry of their judicial custody when their defence lawyers appealed for their bail in the absence of any “proof” showing their involvement in the crime.

The court, however, approved the CBI lawyer's submission appealing extension of judicial custody since the probe is at a preliminary stage and if the accused persons were granted bail, they could threaten the witnesses.

Bangladeshi ultra held

Kazi Saifuddin Mondal alias Sahidur Rehaman, a convicted Bangladeshi ultra, was arrested by Baduria police on Friday afternoon. Police said that Saifuddin, an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami, was convicted for serial bomb blast in Bangladesh and a court in the neighbouring country had awarded him life imprisonment. But a few years ago, he managed to flee from the jail and sneaked into India through Petrapole.

Police said Saifuddin, a resident of Jessore in Bangladesh, had been hiding at Athalia village in North24-Parganas with the support of some of his relatives who stay in India. He was produced before the ACJM court in Basirhat and remanded in five days’ police custody. The police said the Special Task Force of Bengal police had been contacted for further investigation in the case.