Guwahati: Unhappy with the findings of the Assam police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) report, thousands of people protested at Matia in Assam’s Goalpara district on Tuesday, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the mysterious death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jonali Nath.
The woman BJP leader was found dead near National Highway 17 at Salpara under Matia police station on Sunday night. A prominent leader of the Saffron party, Jonali Nath was serving as the BJP secretary of Goalpara district committee till her death.
After her death raised a hue and cry across the state, CID Inspector General of Police (IGP) Devraj Upadhyay on Tuesday night informed that she was killed by her alleged lover Hasanur Islam.
Hasanur, a member of Budusar Gaon Panchayat from the Congress party, was arrested by the CID under a 5-day police remand.
“Hasanur has confessed to the crime during interrogation. According to his version, he alone killed Jonali Nath inside the vehicle following an altercation over their love affair,” Upadhyay said.
The police officer said that the two were in love for over two years. “The boy was recently engaged to a girl after which their relationship got bitter. Hasanur hit her (Nath) with a solid object and killed her instantly and later dumped her body near the National Highway,” he said.
With the help of mobile tracking, Upadhyay said that the accused was caught from Matia and the case is under investigation.
However, Upadhyay’s comment was rejected by locals, who took to the street and demanded the withdrawal of the statement.
Thousands of people led by All Assam Nath Yogi Students Union and Sadou Asom Prathamik Sikshak Sanmiloni joined the protest at Matia on Tuesday. The locals threatened to block all roads in Goalpara from Wednesday if the IGP does not withdraw the statement.
“We are saddened at the statement of the IGP. He passed his comment in a press conference without a detailed probe into the incident. They did not recover the bag and cell phone of Jonali. But held the press conference and passed the comment based on the statement of the accused,” said Keshab Nath, president of All Assam Nath Yogi Students Union (AANYSU) said.
Asserting that the IGP’s statement is a conspiracy he said, “We warn the CID IGP not to address such press conferences. We demand a proper inquiry. They are trying to protect the criminal.”
The student leader then urged chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also hold sthe portfolio of home department, to keep a strict vigil on such officers.
Sadou Asom Prathamik Sikshak Sanmiloni president Akhil Nath also took strong exception to the comment made by the CID IGP.
“A woman leader of the ruling party was abducted and murdered. How can it be related to love affairs?” Akhil Nath questioned. He then said that the police officer did not complete the investigation process.
“We suspect that Hasanur was not alone. There might be two or three other people who committed the crime. We want everybody to be booked under the law and a thorough probe into it,” Nath said.
Saying that the picture is yet to be clear, he alleged that the police is trying to divert the attention of the people and that the statement of the criminal may not be true.
Notably, Jonali Nath’s husband also rejected the statement to be true. He said, “I know my wife. She has been working with BJP karyakartas for a long time. I will not believe his statement. Hasanur gave the statement only to save himself. I never saw her with Hasanur. None of our relatives or neighbours have ever seen her with Hasanur.”
Indicating that there could be financial transactions involved, he said, “The CID IGP’s statement is fishy. He has passed the comment without inquiry into the case and based on the statement of the criminal. There is negligence on the part of CID to probe the case.”
The dead body of Jonali Nath with injury marks which was first noticed by locals at around 11 pm on Sunday. It was suspected that the woman was assaulted before her death.
A forensic team also collected blood stains from the vehicle in which the crime was committed.
A school teacher in the area said, “Hasanur is yet to give information about her mobile phone and bag to the police. It was stated that Hasanur killed her following a heated exchange of words. The actual motive behind the murder is not clear.”
The teacher assumed that the incident was a pre-planned murder as the accused drove several miles to dump the body at the National Highway.
Expressing utter dismay over the ‘lucid’ narration by the IGP, the Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) urged the home department to direct its officials to dedicate more time, space and energy to a genuine probe rather than indulging in the practice of storytelling in front of the media.
According to a source, Jonali Nath led a Self Help Group (SHG), which provided loan assistance to local entrepreneurs. Hasanur was said to be a borrower of loans from the SHG. Sources said that he had not paid the loan and its interest.
The source also said that on the day of the murder, Jonali Nath was last seen in Islampur area and that she was having a discussion at a roadside hotel in Islampur before leaving in an e-rickshaw to return home. But she stopped after receiving several calls from Hasanur and fell into the trap of the murderer, the source observed.
She was seen in Islampur at 6 pm and her dead body was found near National Highway at 8.30 pm. Between two and half hours she did not respond to calls from her husband and elder daughter.
A WhatsApp message sent by her elder daughter was seen at 6 pm but remained unanswered, according to her husband.
“There should be a limit of irresponsibility and personal shame when a police officer can explain the ‘love affairs’ of a victim, who has a family with two young daughters. How come he became so confident that the accused Hasanur Islam spoke the truth (while the lady is not alive today to defend herself)? Had he not realised that the victim had a family while vomiting his creativity,” said PPFA in a statement on Tuesday.
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PPFA also claimed that anyone found guilty in a crime may say anything to influence the probe in their favour. “In that case, why did the police officer try to narrate the ‘story’ following the line of the accused? Has he found all the convincing details about the murder so instantly? Or did he happily use his oratory skill to speak in front of media persons?” questioned the forum based in northeast India.
It said that a transparent probe must be conducted to find the motive behind the killing. The forum also urged media outlets to be sensitive while reporting on such issues.
Also Read | Assam: CID arrests ‘ex-lover’ for murder of Goalpara BJP leader