Guwahati, March 17, 2006
Rana Choudhry
NRI, UK resident Pratul Deb, 67, reportedly kidnapped
in March 2004 near Deb's native town of Hailakandi
in Assam where he was running a bamboo business. Deb,
who had contested the Katlicherra assembly poll on
a BJP ticket against brother-in-law Gautam Roy in
2001
Gautam Roy, Assam social welfare minister and his
son, both facing CBI investigation for the abduction
and murder of NRI businessman Pratul Deb.
Assam goes to the polls April 3 and April 10 to elect
a 126-member legislature. Assam Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi, defending the Congress’ decision to nominate
the father-son, said, "We have not violated the
party stand in giving tickets to Roy and his son because
they are not criminals.There are no cases pending
against them nor has the CBI charge-sheeted them."
Gautam Roy has been re-nominated for the Katlicherra
seat while Rahul contests from neighboring Algapur
constituency. The CM argued that denying tickets would
have been injustice to two winnable candidates
His daughter Sipra, a London-based cancer researcher
had accused Roy and his son Rahul of murdering her
father.
