Birbhum carnage: HC reserves judgment on CBI probe, asks state to submit report

kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday reserved order in connection with the petitions seeking investigation by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other independent agency into the violence in Birbhum district of Bengal in which 8 persons were killed allegedly in retaliation to the murder of Trinamool Congress leader and a deputy pradhan of Bogtui village.

"We will consider and pass an order," said a Bench, comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, after hearing arguments from the petitioner and the state government.

During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner demanded that the case must be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation or any other impartial investigating agency. In response, Advocate General SN Mookherjee, representing the state government, submitted that a probe by the CBI is necessary in rare and exceptional cases only.

Mookherjee also told the court that 31 CCTV cameras have been installed at the site of the incident and protection has been provided to the witnesses in the case.

On Wednesday, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava, taking up a suo motu petition and a set of PILs, ordered that CCTVs be installed at the crime scene in the presence of district judge, Purba Bardhaman, and recordings be done until further orders. The court also directed the state government to produce before it the case diary.

It is learnt that the National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident.