Calcutta, June 26: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee wants the person involved in the Tapasi Malik murder to be punished, irrespective of the party he is affiliated to.

“We want the CBI to punish the person responsible for Tapasi’s murder without bothering about his political affiliation. If he is proved guilty, he has to be punished, no matter which party he belongs to,” the chief minister said at the Writers’ Buildings today.

He said he had requested CBI sleuths in Delhi to expedite the probe. “If somebody commits a crime, he has to be brought to book,” he said.

Bhattacharjee’s observation is significant as the CBI has arrested CPM supporter Debu Malik in connection with the case, after he failed to clear a polygraph test in Delhi.

Returning from Delhi after a central party committee meeting, Bhattacharjee called a news conference this afternoon, apparently embarrassed by Debu’s arrest in connection with Tapasi’s murder.

Senior CPM functionaries, like party secretary Biman Bose and state secretariat member Benoy Konar have already distanced themselves from Malik.

Konar called Malik merely a party supporter who might have “voted for us”.

On December 18, Tapasi’s charred body was found on the the Tata Motors project site at Bajemelia in Singur.

Debu, who was in-charge of the guards at the site, had initially told police that Tapasi had committed suicide.

CPM sources in Singur said Debu is close to Debakar Das, a member of CPM’s Hooghly district committee, and also to Suhrid Dutta, the CPM’s Singur zonal committee secretary.

They also said he was made in charge of the guards at the factory site at the instance of two local leaders.

“Although Debu is not active CPM member, he is a genuine party supporter,” said Dutta today.