Petition in Supreme Court seeks CBI probe into Birbhum violence

Birbhum violence: The petition filed in the Supreme Court cited West Bengal DGP Manoj Malaviya’s initial statement on the incident, alleging the comment reflected a deliberate attempt to hush up a political murder

NEW DELHI: A petition in Supreme Court on Thursday has sought an independent probe by either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a retired judge headed special investigation team into the violence at West Bengal’s Birbhum district that resulted in the killing of eight people on Monday.

Birbhum violence: The petition in the Supreme Court has sought a probe by CBI or by a special team led by a retired judge (HT File Photo)

The petition filed by national president of Hindu Sena Vishnu Gupta said that the eight persons, including children and women were burnt to death as “revenge” for the murder of Trinamool Congress panchayat deputy head Bhadu Sheikh. He claimed that following the incident, residents of village Bogtui in Birbhum have been forced to leave their houses.

“The state government has miserably failed to protect the life and limb of the members of the public and further failed in taking action against the criminals who have committed crime of murder, arson and loot,” the petition said.

The petition also cited the initial reported statements by the West Bengal police chief Manoj Malviya that appeared to rule out “political” rivalry, saying the comment was not only premature but reflected what it described as a “deliberate attempt to hush up the allegation of political murder by TMC workers.” Further, it argued that his statement would influence an impartial and fair probe by SIT.