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CBI begins its investigation into Birbhum killings, collects evidence
The CBI began its probe into the Birbhum killings on Saturday, a day after it was directed by the Calcutta high court to take over the case from West Bengal Police.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) began its probe into the Birbhum killings on Saturday, a day after it was directed by the Calcutta high court to take over the case from West Bengal Police.
A team of around 30 officials from the central agency’s special crime branch, led by deputy inspector general Akhilesh Singh, arrived at Rampurhat police station to collect the case diary and other relevant documents before leaving for Bogtui village where the massacre took place.
“The police are cooperating. The investigation is underway,” Singh told reporters in Birbhum.
Eight people, including two children, were charred to death when homes were set ablaze in the village late Monday evening in what is suspected to be the violent fallout of the murder of a panchayat official, Bhadu Sheikh of the ruling Trinamool Congress party. Four people, who sustained burn injuries, are undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital in Rampurhat.
A team from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, along with the CBI sleuths, also visited the spot to collect samples.
A CBI official familiar with the development said 3d scanners – a high-tech gadget that allows investigators to recreate the crime scene in the courtrooms and help in building the case – are being used for the probe. The CBI team held discussions with a few police officers, including the district superintendent, on Saturday, the official said, requesting anonymity.
The CBI, the official said, will speak with fire brigade officials who helped in dousing the flames, eyewitnesses and families of the deceased.
“We saw the officials entering the houses which were set on fire. They videographed the spot, clicked pictures and took measurements,” a villager said, seeking anonymity.
The killings, which is believed to have been caused by an ongoing feud between two rival groups of the TMC and triggered a massive political row across the state, was being probed by a special investigation team (SIT) formed by the West Bengal government on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the high court took cognizance of the incident, and also some public interest litigations (PILs) seeking an independent probe into the matter and sought a detailed report from the state by 2 pm on Thursday. It reserved its judgment on Thursday.
In its order on Friday, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava said: “In the interest of justice and to instil confidence in society, and to have fair investigation to dig out the truth, it is necessary to hand over the investigation of the case to CBI.”
“We find that the undisputed shocking incident of burning of at least eight persons… has shaken the conscience of the society. It has a nationwide ramification,” it added.
Seeking full cooperation from the state, the court said the state government will not just hand over case papers to the federal investigation agency, but also the accused and suspects who have been arrested.
The court expressed dissatisfaction over SIT’s progress on the case.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had visited the affected village on Thursday and ordered the arrest of all suspects, including party colleagues. Hours later, police arrested a local TMC leader, Anarul Hossain, after Banerjee claimed he did not pay proper attention to the apprehension of locals about a possible disturbance in the area, leading to the carnage.
At least 21 people have been arrested so far. The officer-in-charge of the local police has been suspended.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, on Saturday held a rally in Rampurhat and began a two-day sit-in demonstration outside the subdivisional officer’s office against the Birbhum massacre. The protest was led by the leader of opposition in the state legislative assembly Suvendu Adhikari.
“We would urge the CBI not just to arrest the assailants but also those persons, who made phone calls that day. The CBI should first check the call records of Anubrata Mondol, the district chief of TMC. The agency should also make public the number of calls the state home minister (Mamata Banerjee) made that day and what instructions she had given. There should be an impartial probe and the truth should be uncovered. We won’t let go of this issue,” Adhikari said.
Mondol did not respond to HT’s calls for a comment on the matter. It is alleged that it was on his instructions that Hossain did not send the police to the village on the night of the killings.
Hitting back, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “The BJP has no connection with the people of West Bengal. Feuds are going on among the innumerable factions within the party. Hence, they need such an unfortunate and gruesome incident to hide their failure and spread their propaganda.”
