The Central Bureau of Investigation has assumed the investigation into the murders of Bharatiya Janata Party workers Pradeep Mondal, Devdas Mondal, and Sukanta Mondal in the 2019 post-poll violence in Sandeskhali and filed an FIR against prime accused and former Trinamool Congress leader Sahajahan Sheikh, officials added. The agency filed the first information report (FIR) on the direction of the Calcutta High Court on June 30, the officials said on Saturday.
Justice Joy Sengupta directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to form a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the case with "utmost seriousness". The court directed that the investigation be monitored by a joint director.
Pradeep Mondal, Devdas Mondal and Sukanta Mondal were discovered dead following an alleged attack on their village in Sandeshkhali, allegedly launched by a mob under the leadership of Sheikh. The incident was investigated by CID of West Bengal Police. The relatives of the victims had approached the Calcutta High Court subsequently demanding a CBI investigation.
Sheikh was detained on January 5, 2024, in a case related to alleged physical attack on Enforcement Directorate officials at his Sandeshkhali residence during a raid. He is judicially lodged since then.
Also read: CBI records statement of woman in Sandeshkhali case
"In the current case also, which has even more gravest charges, I am satisfied that the police did not take appropriate action against the prime accused at various stages, resulting in gross miscarriage of justice. It would, therefore, not be in the interest of justice to once again entrust the investigation reins to them," Justice Sengupta added while transferring the probe to the CBI.
He said it seems that whenever charges are made against the aforesaid accused — Sheikh — the state police "tend to fail, be it in the aforementioned case of mob violence against the Enforcement Directorate Officials or the instant case." "In this, no differentiation can be made between the local police (as in the aforesaid earlier case) or the CID (as in the current case)," he said.
Some women in Sandeshkhali in 24 North Parganas, a riverine island situated about 80 km off Kolkata had accused Sheikh and his men of land grabbing and sexual abuse since they were involved in fish farming and trading. On January 2024, the ED officers were reportedly attacked and their cars vandalised when they visited Sheikh's home to execute a raid in connection with the multi-crore ration kit distribution scam. The agency is already investigating these three cases of attacks on the ED team.
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