State appoints 10 IPS officers to assist SIT probe on post-poll violence
Kolkata: The state government sets up zone wise teams comprising 10 IPS officers to assist the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was constituted by the Calcutta High Court to probe allegations of arson and loot during the alleged post-poll violence.
Each of the five teams comprises two IPS officers. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Railways Soma Das Mitra and Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police's of Reserve Force Subhankar Bhattacharya have been appointed for the zone that has been named as "Head Quarters" while Additional Commissioner of Police III of Kolkata Police Tanmay Ray Chaudhuri and Joint Commissioner of Police Nilanjan Biswas are in the "Kolkata Police" zone.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) North Bengal DP Singh and DIG Malda Range Praveen Kumar Tripathi have been appointed to assist the SIT in "North Zone" while Additional Director General (South Bengal) Siddh Nath Gupta and DIG Barasat Range Prasun Bandyopadhyay are in the "South Zone". ADG (Western Zone) Sanjoy Singh and IGP Burdwan Range BL Mina have been appointed to assist the investigation team in the "West Zone".
An order issued by the state's Home and Hill Affairs Department stated that the 10 IPS officers would assist the SIT "in addition to their normal duties".
The Calcutta High Court had ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate rape and murder case during the alleged post-pollviolence and constituted the SIT comprising IPS officers of Bengal cadres - DG (Telecommunication) Suman Bala Sahoo, Commissioner of Kolkata Police Soumen Mitra and ADG (Administration – I) Ranbir Kumar - to probe allegations of arson and loot during the same time period.
It needs mention that the setting up of the team of 10 IPS officers to assist the SIT comes at a time when the state government had moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday challenging the High Court's order after recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The state government has raised questions on the neutrality of the CBI accusing that it acts as per the Centre's direction.
Earlier, stating that she would not make any comment on the issue related to the post-poll violence as the matter is sub judice, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had submitted a report that was prepared by the BJP containing fabricated stories—like fake videos—to the court in connection with the issue, moreover, the report was made public before the court gave its verdict.
Banerjee had also claimed that her party workers were killed at the places where BJP won in the Assembly polls. Banerjee had said that incidents had taken place when the law and order situation was under the Election Commission's jurisdiction.
