KOLKATA: CBI sleuths on Thursday nabbed four Bengal residents from Mumbai for their alleged involvement in the Birbhum killings, an officer of the agency said.
These were the first arrests made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since it took over the probe into the March 21 killings in Bogtui village as per the Calcutta High Court's order.
The four accused had fled from Bogtui to the Maharashtra capital soon after the killings, and they were apprehended from their hideout early on Thursday morning. "Of the four arrested accused, two persons — identified as Bappa and Shabu Sheikh — were named in the FIR lodged in connection with the killings. We will produce them before a court in Mumbai and plea for a transit remand to West Bengal," he said.
Eight people were burnt alive, and one succumbed to injuries later, after assailants firebombed several houses in the village hours after the murder of local Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh.
A Special Investigation Team constituted by the state government was earlier probing the case.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday took on record the preliminary report submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the investigation into the Bogtui violence.
A Bench, comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, reserved its order as to whether the CBI should also probe the murder of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh.
"We will examine the report and upload the order to the server," the Chief Justice
said.
On March 25, the court ordered CBI probe into the violence in Birbhum district. Additional Solicitor General Y.J Dastoor, appearing for the CBI, submitted that the CBI was willing to investigate the murder of Bhadu Sheikh but he however expressed concerns that vital evidence might have been destroyed by now due to such a delayed plea for a CBI probe.
Advocate General S. N Mookherjee, appearing for the State government, submitted that out of the 4 petitions filed initially, in 3 of the petitions no prayer had been mentioned for a CBI probe into the murder of Bhadu Sheikh as well.
Mookherjee submitted that unless the report says there was a link between the two incidents, a CBI probe may not be ordered into Bhadu
Sheikh's murder.