Calcutta HC Hands Over Probe Into Birbhum Violence To CBI

Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered a CBI investigation into Birbhum violence that claimed eight lives earlier this week.

Stating that the case was being handed over to the CBI in the interest of justice, a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj on Friday directed the SIT formed by the West Bengal government to hand over case papers and arrested persons to the Central agency.

The bench also told the CBI to file a progress report in next of hearing of the case and set April 7 for the purpose.

The high court had taken up the case in which 8 people, including two children, were charred to death in Bogtui village of Birbhum district following alleged murder of panchayat deputy chief of ruling Trinamool Congress Bhadu Sheikh.

Lambasting the state government over inaction in the probe, the High Court in its 11-page order observed that though the SIT was constituted on March 22, there has been no effective contribution in the probe.

The court also stated that the police probe was not done as expected. Keeping the gravity of the offence in mind, the court is transferring the investigation into the massacre to the CBI, the bench stated.