The Calcutta High Court on Thursday accepted the preliminary report of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the massacre Bogatui Village On 21 March in Birbhum in which nine people lost their lives.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava had directed the central probe agency to probe the violence that took place on March 25. A section of the petitioners prayed to the court that the CBI should also investigate the murder of Up Village Pradhan Bhadu Sheikh. The killing of Bhadu Sheikh on March 21 led to retaliatory violence in the village and several houses were set on fire. The court has reserved its order in this matter.
CBI in the day Four accused of Bogatui violence arrested in Mumbai. Those arrested are among those named in the FIR and had fled to Mumbai after the violence. The accused will be brought to Birbhum on transit remand.
State government. Challenge to CBI probe
The West Bengal government had challenged the order of a CBI inquiry into the murder of Jhalda Municipality Congress councilor Tapan Kandu on March 13. The state government approached a division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and urged that the matter be heard at the earliest.
On April 4, a bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the CBI to investigate the matter. “…any investigation relating to such a crime needs to instill the confidence of the public at large. Given the seriousness and politically sensitive nature of the crime, the public at large needs to see that the Governance is still in vogue. Justice should be seen to be done,” Justice Mantha had said. The CBI has started investigation after meeting Kandu’s family members on Thursday itself.