West Bengal: Calcutta high court reserves order on Birbhum killings – Times of India

KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Thursday reserved order in a suo motu petition, along with a bunch of PILs seeking a probe by CBI or NIA, in the death of eight people in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.
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The state opposed the prayer for CBI or NIA probe submitting that an investigation is being conducted by an SIT formed by the West Bengal government and it be given time to proceed with it.
Eight people, including two children, were charred to death as nearly a dozen huts were set ablaze in Bogtui village early Tuesday in a suspected fallout of the murder of a ruling Trinamool Congress panchayat official.
Following the conclusion of submissions by all parties over two days, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj said it will consider the arguments and pass the order.
Additional Solicitor General YJ Dastur submitted that the CBI or the NIA are ready to initiate a probe if an order is passed by the high court to that effect.
He informed the court that a seven-member team from Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Delhi, will reach Kolkata in the evening of Thursday and proceed to Bogtui village in Birbhum district for collection of samples from the crime scene as ordered by the bench earlier.
They will be provided with security by CRPF personnel, Dastur said.
Advocate General SN Mookherjee placed the case diaries of the criminal case lodged in connection with the matter along with a report on the investigation being carried out, as directed by the court.
The advocate general opposed prayers by petitioners for transfer of the case to CBI or NIA and cited several earlier judgements of different courts in support of his argument.
Mookherjee submitted that 31 CCTV cameras have been installed at the place of crime as ordered by the bench on Wednesday.
The petitioners, seeking an enquiry by an agency other than those controlled by the state government, alleged that there is a possibility of tampering with evidence if a probe by CBI or NIA is not ordered immediately.