HC orders NIA probe into death of 2 students

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the Darivit High School incident, where two students were killed and several others injured when an incident of violence broke out at the school premises on September 20, 2018.

Although the petitioners had prayed for the transfer of investigation to the CBI, but considering NIA to be the “proper authority to investigate into the matter,” Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the NIA to conduct the probe. He further directed the state CID to transfer the entire case diary and all records, evidence, and files to the NIA.

The writ petitioners had sought a transfer of investigation in connection with an incident of firing and bombing at Darivit High School in the Islampur block of Uttar Dinajpur district in West Bengal. Two students – Tapas Barman and Rajesh Sarkar – were killed in the incident.

On September 20, 2018, students and parents of the school protested against the appointment of two teachers in Sanskrit and Urdu in the school, while a large number of posts in various core subjects like Bengali, Mathematics, History, and English were lying vacant. On the two teachers’ joining date, a large number of students had gathered outside the gate of the school after locking it. They were preventing the new teachers and the staff of the school from leaving the place.