Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday asked the CBI to probe the Birbhum violence in which eight persons were killed, allegedly in a backlash following the murder of a local Trinamool Congress leader.
The order was passed after the Bench took suo motu notice of the issue. Besides, certain PILs had also been filed before the court seeking a CBI probe into the incident.
The court explained that the order was in the interest of justice, to instil confidence, and to ensure a fair investigation.
The court also turned down the request by the State to stay the order to enable it to file an appeal against the same.
According to High Court sources, the division bench voiced its ‘displeasure’ over the functioning of the Special Investigation Team instituted by the state government. Therefore, the CBI has been asked to take the probe further and submit a report by April 7.
One of the petitioners, Kaustuv Bagchi, said that the division bench also slammed the police for not reaching the crime scene on time. “The police station is very close to the site of the arson but even then the police didn’t make an intervention. The court had asked the CBI to take cognizance of whether the police had reached the venue first or the fire brigade?’’ Bagchi said citing the proceedings inside the court.
Meanwhile, the CBI officials have asked for a copy of the FIR from SIT so that they can lodge a fresh report and start their proceedings.
The central forensic team on Friday was seen collecting samples from the spot.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said that the setting up of the SIT was an ‘eyewash’ and done to hide the main ‘culprits’. Senior CPI (M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharjee said that the arrest of the alleged offender, Anarul Hussain, had proven that a ‘fair and free’ probe was not possible under SIT.
“Why was Hussain arrested after the Chief Minister’s announcement at a public venue? Can’t police arrest culprits without waiting for a formal directive,’’ pointed out the senior politburo member.
TMC state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh slamming the CBI probe saying that the agency had ‘failed’ to even restore the Nobel Prize of Rabindranath Tagore.
