Calcutta High Court says no to CBI probe into Lalgarh massacre

The investigation of Netai carnage will be conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department for the time being, a division bench of Calcutta high court said in an interim verdict today saving the ruling CPI(M)-led government major embarrassment. HT reports. Full coverage

The investigation of Netai carnage will be conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the time being, a division bench of Calcutta high court said in an interim verdict on Wednesday saving the ruling CPI(M)-led government major embarrassment.

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On January 7 seven innocent villagers were killed and about 20 injured in Netai village about 150 km to the west of Kolkata, when harmads (armed goons) fired at the villagers from a camp of the CPI(M) ostensibly set up to shelter homeless people. Two died later in a Kolkata hospital pushing the toll to nine.

The court asked the state to file a report on the CID investigations on February 4.

The bench kept the threat of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alive by saying it can be ordered if it was not satisfied with the report of the investigation that the state will file on February 4.

However, the bench also ruled that the Centre-state combined forces positioned in the three Maoist-dominated districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura would demolish the armed camps of the CPI(M).

The court has also directed the state to pay interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the dead, Rs 1 lakh to the critically injured and Rs 50,000 to the injured within seven days.

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