Kolkata | Jagran News Desk: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the murders and crimes against women during the May-June post-poll violence in West Bengal. A five-judge bench of the High Court headed by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe all other post-poll violence cases in West Bengal.
Asking the central agency to file its report within six weeks, the Calcutta High Court said that it will monitor the CBI and SIT investigations in the post-poll violence in West Bengal. It also directed the West Bengal government to hand over all records of the cases to the CBI for further investigation.
"All cases as per report of NHRC committee where allegations are about murder of person or crime against women regarding rape or attempt to rape shall be referred to CBI for investigation," the court said, as reported by Bar and Bench. "It shall be a court monitored investigation and any obstruction in the course of investigation by anyone shall be viewed seriously".
Several people were killed while hundreds were injured following the declaration of assembly elections in West Bengal in May. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 77 seats in West Bengal, has accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) of killing its party workers in the state.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also submitted its report over the post-poll violence in West Bengal and slammed the TMC government while recommending a CBI probe. In its 50-page report, the NHRC said that the situation in the state is a "manifestation of law of ruler instead of rule of law".
"The spatio-temporal expanse of violent incidents in the state of West Bengal reflects the appalling apathy of the state government towards the plight of victims. This was retributive violence by supporters of the ruling party against supporters of the main opposition party," the NHRC report said.
However, the TMC has slammed the Centre and NHRC over post-poll violence in West Bengal and said that it is a "political vendetta" of the BJP. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the Centre of using "impartial agencies" to disrupt her government.
"What would you call it other than political vendetta of the BJP? It is yet to digest defeat (in the assembly polls) and that is why the party is resorting to such tricks," Banerjee had said earlier.
Posted By: Aalok Sensharma
