Apex Court transfers probe against Bengal BJP leader to CBI

Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Wednesday has transferred from state police to CBI the probe into two criminal cases against Bengal BJP leader Kabir Shankar Bose for alleged assault on Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers.

Accepting the petition by Bose, an Apex Court bench asked the Central probe agency to take over the investigation immediately and proceed in accordance with the law.

The state was asked to hand over the investigation papers pursuant to the two FIRs to the CBI along with all records for its completion so that, if necessary, the trial may commence and justice is done to the parties.

The incident dates back to December 6, 2020. Bose claimed that he was not present at the scene of the alleged incident and argued that the charges were politically motivated — a fallout of his filing for divorce from his wife who was the daughter of TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee. The BJP leader contended that despite having Central forces protection, he was unlawfully prevented from leaving his house on the day of the alleged incident and his car was attacked.

During the hearing in the Apex Court, the CRPF produced a movement register that reportedly confirmed Bose’s claims about not being present at the scene of the alleged incident. Following this, the Supreme Court stayed the FIRs.