Calcutta High Court orders NIA Probe In Ram Navami Violence in West Bengal

New Delhi (India), April 27, 2023: The Calcutta High Court has ordered a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the violence that erupted during the Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal.

The order was passed on a petition filed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who had sought a transfer of investigation from the West Bengal police to the anti-terror agency.

Following the court’s directive, the police have been directed to transfer all records and CCTV footage to the central government within two weeks so that the NIA can take over the investigation.

The violence during Ram Navami celebrations resulted in several vehicles being set ablaze, stones being pelted, and shops being vandalized in Howrah’s Shibpur. Clashes were also reported from Hoogly and Dalkhola district.

The Trinamool Congress and the BJP have been at loggerheads, with each blaming the other for the violence. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee had earlier alleged that the BJP approached the high court seeking a probe by the NIA to escape action in the state.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused the BJP of stoking communal tension during the procession and hiring goons from other states to orchestrate communal riots.

The BJP has dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and accused the Mamata Banerjee government of appeasing Muslims and targeting Hindus. BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said that Hindus in Bengal were under threat. The high court’s order has given a new turn to the political drama unfolding in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls next year.