CBI to probe Birbhum killings after Calcutta High Court order

New Delhi, March 25

The Calcutta High Court today directed the CBI to probe the massacre of eight persons, including six women, at Bogtui village, near Rampurhat town, in Birbhum district on March 21.

Editorial: Birbhum killings

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj asked the CBI “to forthwith take over the investigation” and “submit the progress report” before the Bench on April 7 (the next date of hearing). Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the village yesterday and met the affected families. Local TMC block president Anarul Hossain, accused of orchestrating the massacre, was arrested yesterday. The Bench said the facts and circumstances of the case demanded that in the interest of justice and to instill confidence in the society and to have a fair investigation to dig out the truth, it was necessary to hand over the investigation to the CBI. The court also directed the state authorities to extend full cooperation to the central agency.

The order forbade any further investigation by the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the state government to probe the massacre. The CBI should be handed over the case papers and also given the custody of people arrested in connection with the case, the Bench ordered.

Stating that the incident was the result of political rivalry and counter-blast of the murder of a panchayat upa-pradhan belonging to a particular group of the ruling party (TMC), the order noted that a “serious apprehension” was expressed before the Bench about fair investigation in the hands of the local police or the SIT. —