CBI nabs proclaimed offender in 2021 Bengal post-poll murder case
Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested a proclaimed offender who had been absconding for nearly five years in connection with the 2021 West Bengal post-poll violence murder case involving the killing of Manik Maitra in Cooch Behar district.
The accused, Shyamal Barman, was arrested from Siliguri, West Bengal, after remaining on the run since the registration of the case in August 2021. The CBI had earlier announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The case was taken over by the CBI on August 27, 2021, following directions from the Calcutta High Court. It pertains to allegations of post-poll violence in which Manik Maitra was murdered after the West Bengal Assembly elections. The agency re-registered the case based on FIR lodged at Sitalkuchi Police Station in Cooch Behar on May 5, 2021.
During the investigation, the CBI filed its first chargesheet on September 27, 2021, against six accused persons. Further investigation led to the filing of supplementary chargesheets on April 26, 2022, and August 11, 2022, naming 18 additional accused.
According to the agency, Barman consistently evaded investigation and trial proceedings. As a result, the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Mathabhanga, declared him a Proclaimed Offender on February 8, 2022.
Following his arrest, the accused was produced before a competent court in Siliguri and was subsequently sent to judicial custody.
The CBI said further investigation in the case is underway.
