Kolkata: Keeping faith in the state police, Calcutta High Court on Thursday rejected the appeal of Leader of Opposition (LoP) and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s plea seeking National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the Egra cracker factory blast incident that had claimed nine lives.
Court has also rejected the appeal of the BJP leader to deploy Central force at the incident spot and directed the state police to deploy additional police personnel at the blast site in Khadikul village of Egra.
On Tuesday an explosion had taken place at a illegal cracker factory in the Khadikul village of Egra. After the incident, Adhiakri on Wednesday moved the High Court seeking an NIA probe.
Also, it was mentioned in the appeal that the state police has not incorporated the necessary sections under the Explosive Substances (ES) Act.
On Thursday the Division Bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam asked the CID to decide whether the case can be initiated under the ES Act. The bench also directed the CID to submit a report by the next day of the hearing on June 12.
Earlier, with the Calcutta High Court admitting the petition of Suvendu Adhikari demanding an NIA probe, Trinamool Congress (TMC) had said that Adhikari’s demand is “baseless” since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already consented to such a probe while also questioning the need for a Central agency probe when CID is already probing
the matter.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also questioned: “Where was NIA during such cases in Uttar Pradesh? Where was NIA during the Prayagraj violence when people were killed in arson? Where were the Centre’s commissions then? Adhikari is already a CBI FIR-named extortionist who is desperately trying to stay in BJP’s good books.”