CBI seeks case records on post-poll violence from police in Bengal

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday sought details of all cases of alleged murder, attempts to murder and rape reported during the post-poll violence in West Bengal this year from the state police, people familiar with the development said.

The Calcutta high court on Thursday ordered separate probes by the CBI and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police into the alleged violence. A five-judge bench headed by acting chief justice Rajesh Bindal said the CBI will probe the serious allegations of rape and murder and a threemember SIT those of arson and loot under the court’s supervision.

Officials said the CBI has sought all the case records from the state police so that post-mortem reports, details of the sequence of events, statements of suspects, and witnesses, if recorded, can be examined.

Four special CBI teams, comprising seven members each, have been formed to investigate the alleged violence. They will be assisted by local officers from the agency’s Kolkata office. Each special team is headed by joint directors – Anurag, Ramnish, Vineet Vinayak, and Sampat Meena. The teams will be under the overall supervision of additional director Ajay Bhatnagar.

Virendra, the West Bengal police chief who is due to retire on August 31, could not be contacted.

A state police officer, who did not wish to be named, said they will follow the orders of the Calcutta high court and cooperate with the CBI. “I cannot comment right now on whether the state government will move the Supreme Court challenging the high court order.” He added the state police can hand over papers only for those cases in which official complaints were registered. “We cannot do anything about the allegations made before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).”

Soon after the results of the elections were declared on May 2, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made allegations of widespread post-poll violence from across the state. The NHRC carried out an investigation and submitted its final report on July 13, recommending a CBI probe, and that trials should be held outside the state.

In its report, the NHRC panel slammed the state government saying the violence “shows a pernicious politico-bureaucratic-criminal nexus”.

It added that at least 1,934 police complaints were lodged between May 2 and June 20. These included 29 murder charges, 12 complaints relating to rape and sexual assault, and 940 complaints of loot and arson. The report said that out of the 9,304 people named as accused, less than 3% are in jail.