Gopal Biswas, the jeweller at whose Baranagar house in North Kolkata Bangladesh Awami League MP Anwarul Azim Anar stayed for a day (May 12) before he left the place only to be allegedly brutally ‘murdered’ in New Town apartment in Kolkata, still has not been able to come to terms with the manner in which Anar was supposedly killed.
Speaking to Northeast News over phone, Biswas, who first met Anar some 20 years ago at Majhdia in Nadia district, said that the small suitcase that the Bangladeshi MP carried with him on May 12 contained some clothes and medicines.
“His passport, other identity documents and eyeglasses were with him. Even during past visits, whenever he left to meet someone else in Kolkata, he would take along these items with him,” Biswas, who was examined twice by West Bengal CID officers after May 22 when it was officially declared that Anar had been murdered, said.
Anar’s small suitcase and its contents were examined by CID officers.
These were photographed before they were returned to Biswas in the hope that Anar’s family members would collect them whenever they visit Kolkata.
“I have had a word with Anar’s daughter, Mumtarin Ferdoush Dorin. She will collect the suitcase when she arrives in Kolkata for tests related to DNA matching,” Biswas said.
Biswas met Anar some 20 years ago, when he along with a few other Awami League leaders from border districts in Bangladesh fled to parts of West Bengal, including Majhdia, following “action” against them by the then BNP government.
It was during this sojourn that, besides Biswas, Anar forged lasting ties with other individuals Paritosh, Subhash Agarwal, Pappu and Raju Singh who were allegedly into gold smuggling on the Indian side.
Inquiries by Northeast News revealed that Subhash Agarwal has taken to real estate and construction business, while Raju Singh has set up a diagnostic laboratory in Majhdia.
At that time, Anar also came close to another long-time Awami Leaguer, Kamrul Arefin who, incidentally defeated Hasanul Haq Inu, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader who was till that time an ally of the Awami League, in the so-called elections held on January 7 this year.
Around the time the BNP turned the heat on several Awami League leaders, Sheikh Hasina’s first cousin Sheikh Hellal also crossed the border and lived in hiding in Kolkata.
It was during Anar’s hiding in Majhdia that the kernel of the cross-border smuggling activities was formed and subsequently strengthened.
The hugely profitable gold smuggling also led to some diversification in the form of establishing the hundi trade in currency exchange which was in a nascent stage on both sides of the border way back in 2005-06.
In the course of Northeast News’ 12-minute conversation with Biswas, the jeweller admitted that he had known Anar for “about 20 years” and the last time he hosted the Awami League MP was “three to four months” before the alleged ‘murder’.
“I was called over by the CID and gave a detailed statement to a lady DIG officer,” Biswas said.
“I have absolutely no clue who the killers are and why Anar was killed. All I know is from newspaper and TV news reports,” Biswas said, adding that he “could be called over by the CID for further examination in the days and weeks to come”.
