Kolkata, Sep 9 (IANS) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday extended the interim bail period for Cooomunist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Md. Lahek Ali, who was arrested in July this year by the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police in connection with the massive unrest at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas over the rape and murder of a girl.
Lahek was granted interim bail till September 10 by the single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on September 2 on grounds of the serious medical conditions of his mother.
On that day, Justice Ghosh directed the West Bengal Police to submit to his bench on September 9 the video footage regarding Lahek’s public statements instigating violence over the rape and murder of the minor.
The matter came up for hearing on Wednesday afternoon at Justice Ghosh’s bench and the state police failed to submit to the court the necessary video footage in the matter.
During the hearing in the matter on Wednesday, the Public Prosecutor Kallol Mandal, told the court that it had not yet been possible to bring the pen drive containing the video footage of the day of the incident from the police station.
Thereafter, the public prosecutor sought more time from the court in the matter.
Following the submission of the public prosecutor, Justice Ghosh extended the interim bail period for Lahek by more than a month till October 12.
The next hearing on the matter will be on held on October 10.
Tension broke out in Baruipur in July this year over the rape and murder of a minor girl.
The local people resorted to major ruckus in the area and lynched a local youth suspecting him of being involved in the crime. Later, the lynched youth turned out to be innocent.
Ali, the CPI-M’s South 24 Parganas district committee member, was accused by the police of being one of the principal masterminds behind instigating and mobilising people to take the law into their own hands.
The police registered 26 cases against him.
Finally, on the night of July 12, he was arrested at his residence.
The CPI-M leadership, however, described his arrest as a reflection of ‘political vendetta’.
The Suryapur area of Baruipur witnessed widespread unrest after the body of the minor girl was recovered on July 5.
Since the incident, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has visited Baruipur twice.
Besides, assuring strict punishment for those accused in the alleged rape and murder of the minor, the Chief Minister also warned of action against those accused of inciting violence during the protests.
Several arrests have already been made in connection with the unrest.
Allegations that Lahek had incited violence had been raised from the outset, following which police arrested him.
Pravas Mondal, one of the key accused in the crime of rape and murder, was killed in a police encounter after he tried to escape by snatching the firearm of an on-duty police officer.
–IANS
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