CBI meets affected families, files 7 more cases

KOLKATA: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday recorded the complaints of several families in five districts of West Bengal while carrying out probe into post-poll violence and registered seven more cases, said officials aware of the development. With this, the agency has registered 28 cases so far.

On Sunday, the CBI officers visited South 24 Parganas, East

Burdwan, Howrah and Birbhum districts in south Bengal, and Cooch Behar in north Bengal.

The Calcutta high court had on August 19 ordered a courtmonitored CBI probe into the allegations of murder and crime against women – rape and attempt to rape – that were reported after the assembly poll results were announced on May 2. The central agency which began the probe on Monday made its first arrest in connection with the post-poll violence on Saturday. Bijoy Ghosh and Ashima Ghosh were arrested from Chapra in Nadia district in connection with the murder of a BJP worker Dharma Mondol on May 14, the officials confirmed.. The accused were produced in court on Sunday and remanded in police custody.

Each of the four CBI teams which comprise deputy inspector generals and superintendents from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and other states – is being headed by a joint director. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is providing security to the visiting teams.

After studying the NHRC’S final report filed on July 13, the high court last week ordered separate probes by the CBI and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police into the alleged violence. The NHRC recommended a CBI probe and said cases should be heard outside Bengal. Neither the TMC nor the state government have made any statement on the CBI probe.