Overview

• On August 5, the Calcutta High Court granted bail to SI Ratna Sarkar and home guard Dipankar Debnath after they were sent to judicial custody in connection with the May 2, 2021 killing of BJP activist Abhijit Sarkar
• The CBI’s second supplementary charge sheet filed on June 30 elevated the total number of accused in the post-poll violence case to 38 by naming 18 additional individuals
• The court imposed conditions preventing the officers from entering Sitalatala Lane, contacting Sarkar’s mother and brother or holding any posting at Narkeldanga Police Station during the ongoing trial
• Investigators accuse Ratna Sarkar and Debnath of tampering with evidence, including coercing Sarkar’s mother into signing a blank document after the incident
• The special CBI court trial continues under intensified judicial oversight as scrutiny of law enforcement conduct in politically charged post-election violence cases deepens