CBI arrests absconder in 2021 post-poll violence murder case
On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Gopal Das, also known as Bishal Paul, in Rabindranagar, Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal.
He was wanted in connection with a murder case linked to the violence that broke out after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. Gopal Das had been missing since the first information report was filed in 2021 and had not appeared for investigation or trial.
Earlier, the CBI offered a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information that would help arrest him. Officials said they found him using both human intelligence and technical methods. The CBI took over the case on August 25, 2021, following a Calcutta High Court order from August 19, 2021. The case was originally registered at Narkeldanga police station as FIR No. 124/2021 and involved the alleged murder of Avijit Sarkar on May 2, 2021, at Sitalatala Lane in Kolkata. The victim was killed during the violence that followed the Assembly election results.
The CBI found that several people were involved in the case. After completing its investigation, the agency filed a chargesheet in 2021 and more in 2025, naming 38 people in total. Those named include Gopal Das (also known as Bishal Paul), Paresh Pal, who was a Trinamool Congress MLA at the time, and two Trinamool Congress councillors, Swapan Samaddar and Papiya Ghosh. The accused face charges under different sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The case is now being heard in the City Sessions Court in Calcutta. After his arrest, Gopal Das was brought before the court, which sent him to judicial custody. This arrest is an important step in a long-running investigation that has received attention because of the political situation after the 2021 post-poll violence. Many cases from that time were handed over to the CBI by the high court, due to worries about whether local investigations were fair.
The officials said the operation was the result of ongoing efforts to find people who had been missing in sensitive cases. The agency stressed that it carried out a thorough investigation into Avijit Sarkar’s murder, which led to charges against many people. The trial is still underway, and the recent arrest should allow the case to move forward against the newly caught accused. The violence in West Bengal after the 2021 elections led to many claims of targeted attacks, which caused the courts to step in and transfer several cases to central agencies.
The CBI is looking into several cases from that time. Gopal Das’s arrest shows the continued push to bring justice in cases that were delayed when important accused people did not show up. More updates on the trial will come as it moves forward in the City Sessions Court.
