A fresh political controversy has erupted over the alleged political affiliation of one of the accused arrested in the sensational Baruipur rape and murder case.
However the CPI(M) has strongly denied these claims saying the accused has never been associated with the party or served as its polling agent in the recently held assembly election.
The controversy surfaced after allegations circulated on social media claiming that arrested accused Ananda Sardar was a CPI(M) worker and had acted as the party’s polling agent at a booth in the Baruipur Assembly constituency.
The claim quickly triggered a political row amid heightened public attention on the case, in which one accused, Prabhas Mondal, was killed in a police encounter after allegedly attempting to escape custody.
Responding to the allegations, the CPI(M) categorically rejected the claims, describing them as “baseless”, “fabricated” and part of a deliberate campaign to malign the party.
In a statement posted on the party’s official social media platform, the CPI(M) said Ananda Sardar had never been associated with the party in any capacity. It further asserted that he had never functioned as a polling agent for the party in any election.
“The individual has no connection whatsoever with the CPIM and has never served as its polling agent. We urge people not to fall prey to motivated propaganda, falsehood and slander directed against the party,” the statement read.
Adding to the rebuttal, Mohammed Salim, CPI(M) state secretary, shared the party’s position through its official channels, while party leaders appealed to supporters not to be misled by what they termed a politically motivated misinformation campaign.
CPI(M) leader Kaltan Dasgupta, the Left Front candidate from Panihati in the last Assembly election, also questioned the authenticity of the allegations.
Referring to Booth No. 247 under Baruipur West Assembly constituency, where Ananda Sardar is reportedly a resident, Dasgupta claimed the CPI(M) had secured only around two per cent of the votes, just 20 votes, in that booth.
He argued that it was implausible to suggest that the party had deployed a polling agent there and challenged those making the allegations to produce Form 17, the official polling record that documents polling agents appointed by candidates.
Another CPI(M) leader said the truth could easily be verified through records maintained by the Election Commission of India, which preserve the details of polling agents for every booth. Examining those documents, he said, would settle the matter conclusively.
Local CPI(M) leaders have also dismissed the allegations as entirely false and alleged that the campaign was being orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to tarnish the image of the Left party. The BJP has not yet issued any official response to the CPI(M)’s allegations.