Calcutta HC seeks Bengal government stand on NIA probe in Beldanga violence

Kolkata, June 10 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court had asked the West Bengal government to clarify its stand on the ongoing National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the violence and riot-like situation at Beldanga in Murshidabad district in January this year.

After the NIA initiated a probe into the matter earlier this year, the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government approached the Supreme Court to challenge the move.

Now the question arose that with the change in regime in West Bengal, with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in charge, the new state government will pursue the matter in the apex court or allow the NIA probe to continue.

A case was also filed at the Calcutta Court in the matter, and acting on the petition, a division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen on Tuesday directed the state government to clarify its stand in the matter, as per the order uploaded on Wednesday morning.

During the hearing, the state government counsel told the division bench that although the state government was not, in principle, against the continuation of the NIA probe in the matter, more time was required for expressing its opinion on whether sections under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, would be applicable in the matter or not.

Thereafter, the division bench directed the state government to give its opinion in the matter by next week.

The violence and riot-like situations surfaced at Beldanga in January this year over the death of a migrant worker in neighbouring Jharkhand. The tension flared up after the body of the migrant worker reached Beldanga.

The local protesters alleged that the migrant worker was lynched in Jharkhand because of religious and linguistic reasons. The protests started with the blockade of railways and roads at Beldanga.

When the police tried to lift the blockade, the protesters set up an ambush. Some journalists were also attacked by the protesters, some of whom got severely injured.

Later, the Jharkhand Police, in a statement, cited the post-mortem report that termed the migrant worker’s death a case of suicide

–IANS

src/vd