Behrampore: The West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF) is likely to take over the investigation into the Samserganj encounter in which prime accused Samaul Sheikh was shot dead on Tuesday. The CID, whose officers were involved in the operation, may hand over the probe.The process of releasing the body was delayed on Wednesday due to the absence of a forensic expert at Jangipur Superspeciality Hospital. Samaul’s brother, Amaul Sheikh and seven others from Ghoraipara village in Farakka arrived around 10am to receive the body after the post-mortem. The administration subsequently decided to shift it to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Behrampore.“We have nothing to say. We just want the body as early as possible so that we can complete the last rituals at our local graveyard,” Amaul said. Safikul Islam, who accompanied the family, added, “I do not know what exactly happened yesterday. Neighbours told me that I needed to go to receive the body, so I came here.”Samaul’s wife, Rajeda Khatun, questioned the police action and sought compensation. “My husband was only an accused person; his crime was not proved yet. How will I educate my eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter, and look after my aged in-laws? The govt must compensate our family,” she said.In contrast, the family of murdered BJP worker Sujit Mondal expressed relief over Samaul’s death. Sujit’s father, Dulu Mondal, said, “Sujit was the only earning member of our family. After the encounter death of the main culprit Samaul, we are happy. But if the police had shown activeness at the beginning, Sujit would still be alive, as they had demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh over the phone. Sujit has left behind a six-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter.”Sujit had been missing since Aug 28. Police recovered his severed limbs from the Feeder Canal on Sept 4 after the accused allegedly confessed to dismembering his body.During crime-scene reconstruction in Dhulian on Tuesday, Samaul allegedly tried to escape by snatching a deputy superintendent of police’s service revolver. A policeman opened fire, hitting him twice. He was declared brought dead at Anupnagar Block Primary Health Centre.(Written with inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh in Kolkata)
