Ballia , The mother of a man arrested in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday claimed that her son is innocent and demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.
Talking to PTI on Monday, Jamwanti Singh, a resident of Anand Nagar locality in Ballia and an employee at the Rasra post office, claimed her son Raj Singh, who was arrested by West Bengal Police, had been falsely implicated and sought justice for him.
She alleged that she and her son were picked up by the police team while returning from Ayodhya and later informed that Raj was being taken to Kolkata by flight.
Jamwanti Singh said she had travelled with her son on May 7 to Lucknow to attend the wedding ceremony of the daughter of Legislative Council member Ravishankar Singh alias Pappu Singh.
“Five people, including my son Raj Singh, his friend Monu Singh, a driver and a photographer, had gone to Lucknow in a vehicle,” she said.
After attending the wedding, the group travelled to a dargah in Ambedkar Nagar district on May 8 and stayed overnight at a hotel near the shrine, she claimed.
“On the morning of May 9, after offering prayers at the shrine, we left for Ayodhya and later stopped at a roadside eatery for food. As soon as we were leaving in our vehicle, the police team intercepted us and took away me and my son,” she alleged.
According to her, all five persons were kept at a police station, where she was lodged in the women’s barrack while the others were kept separately.
“On May 10 afternoon, police allowed me to meet Raj and informed me that he was being taken to Kolkata by flight,” she said.
Claiming that her son had never visited Kolkata, Jamwanti Singh said she possessed CCTV footage to establish his presence in Ballia on May 6.
“Raj was in Ballia on May 6. He had gone shopping here and there is CCTV footage from our house, shops and a gym. We have no relatives in Kolkata and Raj has never gone there, not even for travel,” she said.
Demanding a CBI inquiry, she said, “A fair investigation should be conducted and justice should be given to my son.”
She added that Raj Singh had earlier served as district president of the Kshatriya Mahasabha and is currently its state general secretary.
Meanwhile, District Crime Record Bureau in-charge Vipin Singh said Raj Singh had previously been arrested in a murder case in Ballia.
He said that on the night of October 13, 2020, a differently-abled egg trader identified as Ajit was shot dead in Anand Nagar locality in Ballia Kotwali area.
“In that case, police had arrested Raj Singh along with his associate Govinda Singh. Illegal pistols, a country-made firearm and cartridges were also recovered from them,” he said.
Ballia Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh said West Bengal Police had not shared any information with Ballia police regarding Raj Singh’s arrest.
“No information or communication has been received from West Bengal Police regarding the arrest,” the SP said.
Chandranath Rath, an aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead at a point-blank attack in North 24 Parganas on May 6, triggering sharp political reactions and escalating tension in the area.
Police in Kolkata said three persons were arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the killing of Chandranath Rath.
The three accused were detained on Sunday and later arrested by the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the murder.
Investigators traced “digital clues and interstate links” in the case, the senior police officer said.
This is a breakthrough. The investigation indicated that the assailants were from outside West Bengal. Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, members of the SIT were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They arrested the three persons from UP. They will be brought to West Bengal on transit remand,” the officer told PTI.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
