Jorhat, April 8: Tinsukia police today interrogated Congress legislator from Chabua, Raju Sahu, in the murder case of senior CPI (M-L) leader and trade union activist Gangaram Koul.

Koul, a member of the CPI (M-L) state committee and general secretary of the Assam Sangrami Chah Shramik Sangha, was murdered near Panitola tea estate in Tinsukia district on March 25 night while returning home to Gutibari line of the garden on his motorcycle.

Sahu was one of the six named in the FIR lodged by CPI (M-L) leader Subhash Sen.

The state government had initially ordered a CID inquiry but later, giving in to the CPI (M-L)’s demand, decided to go for a CBI investigation.

The Tinsukia district administration had ordered a magisterial probe by assistant commissioner Anant Gyani into the incident a day after the murder.

Tinsukia superintendent of police P.P. Singh told this correspondent that Sahu was interrogated for about two hours at Tinsukia police station by a team of police officials, led by Tinsukia additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Jayanti Sarathi Bora, who is the investigating officer of the case.

“We interrogated him at length,” Singh said, adding that all the statements had been recorded.

A police source said Sahu was asked whether he knew the deceased, why his name had been taken in the FIR and whether he had links with the other five named in the FIR.

After coming out of the police station, Sahu told reporters that he had cooperated fully with the police and would also do so in future. He thanked chief minister Tarun Gogoi for recommending a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Sahu said he had lodged an FIR against two scribes for allegedly blackmailing him over publishing of news items against him.

Confirming this, the superintendent of police said a case (number 232/13) had been registered at Tinsukia police station under Sections 120(b), 387 and 34 of IPC.