Kolkata, Sep 10 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths have intensified the probe into the BJP booth president murder case in Moyna of West Bengal's East Midnapore district.

The NIA sleuths, on Monday night, conducted raid and search operations at multiple locations in connection with the murder of BJP booth president Bijay Krishna Bhuiyan in May last year.

However, the NIA officials here are tight-lipped on the findings of their Monday night operations.

The NIA took over the investigation in the case following an order by Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta in April.

Initially, the West Bengal Police was probing the matter. However, the family members of the victim approached the Calcutta High Court demanding an investigation by any Central agency, alleging that the state police were trying to "save" the culprits who were active members of the Trinamool Congress.

Bhuiyan was kidnapped from his residence and later his body was recovered from the nearby area. As per the preliminary investigation, he was hit on his head by heavy and blunt objects which caused his death.

The development evoked massive protests in the area on the following day and tension leading to clashes between the police and protesting BJP supporters.

During the hearing, the single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court also observed severe lapses in the investigation carried out by the state police.

One such lapse was that the event of recovery of a crude bomb near the place of crime was not mentioned in the charge sheet. At the same time, the names of witnesses were also missing.

The East Midnapore district police authorities also faced the ire of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) vice-chairman Arun Halder for a lackadaisical investigation into the matter.

/IANS