No connection with driver of car that mowed IAF man: TMC

“The culprits must certainly be booked as per law of the land. We have nothing to do with them and have never had anything to do with them,” TMC national spokesperson Derek O’Brien said in a statement.

Meanwhile, members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police formed to probe the incident in which he was killed, went to Bihar to conduct a search operation along the Bihar-Nepal border. Acting on a tip off, senior police officers reached the spot in search of former RJD MLA Mohammed Sohrab and his two sons Ambia and Sambia who went absconding after the incident happened last week. The police suspect that they might have fled to Bihar and initially suspected that Ambia Sohrab could have been driving the car that hit Abhimanyu when the latter participated in the rehearsal of the Republic Day parade.

Meanwhile, TMC leader Partha Chatterjee on Saturday denied any connection between his party and Md Sohrab. He said that he was an RJD MLA and he had flourished and expanded his business during the Left Front regime. He was close to CPI-M leaders.

Kolkata Police have already arrested the manager of a hotel owned by Sohrab on charges of possessing arms. He has been remanded in police custody till January 23 after being produced before a city court. He was being interrogated by the police to get leads regarding the disappearance of the Sohrabs.

There was, however, a twist in the story after Sohrab brothers’ common friend Sanu’s family members lodged his missing diary at the Bowbazar police station. Sanu was absconding since the incident took place. His sister-in-law told the police on Friday that Sanu told her over phone that Sambia was driving the car when the accident happened.

Investigating officers believe that the Sohrabs could not go out of the country as a look-out notice had been earlier issued and were thus trying to escape to Nepal or other neighbouring countries.

The BJP leaders on Saturday staged a demonstration in front of Lalbazar demanding immediate arrest of the accused who were involved in the crime.

The investigation to ascertain the total number of persons in the car during the accident is on, but the police suspect that there were more number of persons in the vehicle than mentioned initially. Contradicting the Kolkata Police’s version, a spokesperson of the defence ministry claimed that a joint investigation done by the Air Force and Army Police reveals that there was only one person who hit the Air Force officer.

After hitting the officer, the car reportedly rammed a barricade before coming to a stop. The driver left the car and ran away. Some reports say the car’s number plate was removed before the driver fled. The police say the driver had tried to enter Red Road earlier from another point but was turned away by the police. He then drove on the wrong lane, jumped a traffic signal and then drove into an area where no cars were allowed because of the rehearsal.

Footage of the incident shows the officer marching and then vanishing from the screen when a car zips past.

“It is a matter of concern that almost 60 hours have passed and nothing much has happened,” Wing Commander S S Birdi, a military spokesperson, said in a report.