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Bogtui custodial death: Bengal police book CBI officers, HC gives relief
Police in West Bengal have named two senior CBI officers in its FIR in a custodial death case, in which a prime accused of the Bogtui massacre case was found dead in the federal agency’s custody on Monday.
Police in West Bengal have named two senior officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – a deputy inspector general (DIG) and a superintendent of police – in its first information report (FIR) in a custodial death case, in which a prime accused of the Bogtui massacre case was found dead in the federal agency’s custody on Monday. This is an interesting turn of events in the case, considering that a third officer named Susanta Bhattacharya, CBI’s investigating officer (IO) in the cattle-smuggling case in which Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondol was arrested in August.
Another inspector Swarup Dey, who is also associated with the cattle-smuggling case, has also been named in the above FIR.
Ten people were burnt alive at Bogtui in Birbhum on March 21 in retaliation to the murder of a local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. On Monday, Lalan Sheikh, prime accused in the massacre case, was found hanging in CBI custody.
“Seven CBI officials, including the investigating officer of the Bogtui massacre case, Vilas Bala Mhadgut, have been named in the FIR on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim’s wife under sections 302 (murder), 385 (extortion), 509 (intending to insult modesty of woman) of Indian Penal Code,” said an IPS officer in Birbhum district, asking not to be named.
The custodial death case has been handed over to the state police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The federal agency on Wednesday moved the Calcutta high court challenging the inclusion in the FIR of CBI officers not related to the Bogtui massacre or custodial death cases. The court directed CID not to take any coercive steps against CBI officers but allowed it to continue with its probe. A bench of justice Jay Sengupta said CID will not submit its final investigation report to the government without the permission of the court.
The court also ordered a second post mortem after exhuming Sheikh’s body. Sheikh was buried on Wednesday.
CBI has claimed that Sheikh died by suicide, but his family members allege that he was beaten to death in custody. His wife, Reshma Bibi, also alleged that CBI officials demanded ₹50 lakhs to suppress the Bogtui case. Police said that Reshma said in her complaint that the investigating officer of Bogtui murder case was pressurising Sheikh to name some senior political leaders.
“She stated in her complaint that her husband had told her that CBI officials were being advised over phone by the agency’s DIG, SP, and Bhattacharya to torture him unless he mentioned the names of influential persons,” said the IPS officer mentioned above.
“It is strange why names of some of our senior officers have been included in the FIR. Officers who are nowhere related to the case have also been included. We have already moved the Calcutta high court. The court has issued some directions,” a senior officer of CBI’s special crime branch in Kolkata said, seeking anonymity.
The massacre in Bogtui, which allegedly stemmed from disputes between rival factions of the ruling TMC, and the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam, have put the ruling TMC in the firing line of the Opposition in recent months. Both cases are being probed by CBI on the orders of Calcutta high court, and some district and block leaders of the TMC have been arrested in connection with the cases.
Meanwhile, CBI vacated its camp office at Rampurhat in Birbhum, where Sheikh was found hanging, and shifted all documents related to the Bogtui massacre to their office at CGO Complex near Kolkata. On Wednesday, family members, close aides of Lalan Sheikh and villagers staged protests outside CBI’s camp office, demanding punishment of the agency’s officials.
“The matter is being heard by the court. Hence, it won’t be right to comment. The court will decide. But the investigating officer of one case can always be utilised in another case,” state minister and senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said.
“This FIR was drafted by the TMC. The ruling party wants CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to stop all its investigations in West Bengal. They became a little bit reckless and included the names (of CBI officers not related to the Bogtui case) in the FIR,” state BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government has often accused the BJP-led Centre of using central agencies like CBI and ED to target and harass opposition parties. Bengal is among few states where unlike the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has a nationwide mandate for investigating terrorism-related cases, CBI needs the state’s consent to operate.
The Calcutta high court on March 25 had ordered a CBI probe into the Bogtui massacre.
