Kolkata: A Kolkata court has ordered the CBI to hand over the case related to the arson incident in West Bengal.
The apex court also directed the CBI to file its report on April 7, when the next hearing will be held.
The vice-president of the ruling Trinamool Congress panchayat council was killed last Monday in Bokdui village in West Bengal’s Beephoom district. Houses were set on fire in the ensuing violence. Of these, 8 children including 2 girls and 3 women were burnt to death. Opposition parties, including the BJP, have blamed the Trinamool Congress for the violence and the burning of houses.
The Kolkata High Court had on Wednesday voluntarily heard the case and directed the state government to file an interim inquiry report by 2.30 pm on Thursday. Accordingly, the state government filed an interim inquiry report into the incident.
Five welfare petitions have been filed in the Kolkata Magistrate’s Court seeking an order for an independent inquiry into the violence. The petitions came up for hearing on Friday before a bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava. At the time, the judges said after reviewing the investigation report provided by the state government:
The state government on the 22nd appointed a special inquiry committee to probe the Boom Boom massacre. But so far the committee has not conducted an item investigation.
The massacre shook the conscience of the country. But overall, the seriousness of the crime was not as satisfactory as the Special Investigation Commission’s investigation.
Therefore, we order that this case be handed over to the CBI. The state government should hand over all documents and arrests related to the case to the CBI. Neither the Special Investigation Commission nor the state government should conduct any other investigation into the murder.
The CBI team is expected to conduct an inquiry and file their report on April 7, the next hearing. The state government should extend full cooperation to the CBI investigation.
The context of the Boom Boom massacre calls for a CBI inquiry. The judges said the case was being handed over to the CBI to build credibility among the people and uphold justice.
Earlier, a post-mortem examination of the bodies of the victims revealed that there were signs that Sila had been attacked before the fire was put out.
Forensic team inspects: A team from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory went to the village of Boktui on Friday to inspect the house where 8 people were burned alive and collect clues.
CBI to probe today: The CBI is scheduled to begin its probe on Saturday (March 26) following an order from the Kolkata High Court. The CBI registered a case on Friday.
A senior CBI official said, ‘A team of CBI officials reached the village where the violence took place on Friday night. They will start the investigation on Saturday.