Calcutta High Court orders Court-Monitored CBI Probe into West Bengal Post-Poll Violence cases of Murder & Rape
In what comes as a major setback for the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, the Calcutta high court on Thursday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the allegations of post-poll violence in the state. A seven-member committee set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had earlier looked into the incidents of violence following the West Bengal assembly elections and recommended a court-monitored CBI probe.
CBI will probe the allegations of murder and rape, raised shortly after the overwhelming victory of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) against rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in these elections. According to people familiar with the development, the Calcutta high court also directed that a separate Special Investigation Team (SIT), with senior officers from the West Bengal cadre, be set up to probe the other allegations cited by the NHRC committee.
This SIT will comprise three IPS officers -- Soumet Mitra, Suman Bala Sahoo, and Ranbir Kumar. The proceedings shall be monitored by a retired judge of the Supreme Court; a detailed order regarding this will be issued later, the Calcutta high court said.
The West Bengal government should hand over all records of cases to the CBI for the investigation, the Calcutta high court said, adding that it will be a "court-monitored investigation" and that any obstruction during the course of the probe by anyone shall be "viewed seriously".
On July 15, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team probing the post-poll violence in West Bengal had submitted its final report to Calcutta High Court. The 50-page report termed the situation in the state a manifestation of the law of the ruler instead of the rule of law.
The committee had in its remarks in the final report said, "This was retributive violence by supporters of the ruling party against supporters of the main opposition party." It recommended handing over the investigation in grievous crimes like rape and murder to the Central Bureau of Investigation and said that the cases should be tried outside the state.
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