Two policemen arrested in connection with the 2021 post-poll murder of BJP worker Avijit Sarkar moved bail prayers before Calcutta High Court on Tuesday.

Ratna Sarkar, an inspector who was the investigating officer of the murder case when the probe was under Kolkata Police; and Dipankar Debnath, a home guard attached to Narkeldanga police station, were named in a CBI supplementary chargesheet.

Sarkar was fatally assaulted by a mob on May 2, 2021, after the Assembly results were announced and Trinamool Congress was voted back to power. He was a BJP leader in the Narkeldanga area.

Later, state BJP leaders claimed Trinamool workers had murdered him.

The CBI lawyer had earlier told the court that Sarkar's brother had called the police station for help when he (Sarkar) was being beaten. But no help arrived.

On Tuesday, Justice Subhra Ghosh declined to hear the petitions in absence of a representative on behalf of Sarkar's family.

The judge asked the lawyer appearing for the bail applicants to serve a notice on the kin of the victim and fixed the matter for hearing on Friday.

A Calcutta High Court division bench had handed the probe to the CBI in 2022.

The central agency filed a supplementary chargesheet, naming 18 accused, in the city sessions court on June 30

The accused were summoned to the court and asked to “surrender”. Their bail pleas were rejected after a lengthy hearing.

Trinamool MLA Paresh Paul and two Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillors — whose names feature in the chargesheet in the same case — had moved the high court last week for anticipatory bail.

The high court directed the CBI not to take coercive action against the trio till August 1.