Calcutta HC hands TMC leader's murder probe to CBI, says case interlinked with Birbhum arson

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 8 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday handed over Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh's murder probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) saying that the case is interlinked with the arson at Birbhum's Rampurhat which resulted in the death of nine persons.
Sheikh was TMC deputy Panchayat Pradhan from Bogtui, Birbhum.
The Bench hearing the case said that it is prima facie of the view that the murder of Sheikh and the arson at Birbhum are "interconnected".
"The investigation in the case of Bhadu Sheikh murder should also be done by the CBI as both the incidents are interconnected and the investigating agency in Bhadu Sheikh murder case is trying to cover up the issue which will affect the investigation by CBI," the bench said.
The court observed that the report submitted by the CBI further suggests that the incident is an outcome of rivalry amongst the members of two groups in the village and that the burning of the houses resulting in the death of at least eight persons was a retaliatory plan.
Meanwhile, the CBI on Thursday arrested four persons from Mumbai for their alleged involvement in the violence in West Bengal's Birbhum.
The arrested accused have been identified as Bappa SK alias Sal Mohamad, Sabu SK alias Sadril SK, Taj Mohammad alias Chand and Serajul SK alias Poltu.
The accused persons involved in the Bogtui carnage at Rampurhat, Birbhum district of West Bengal had absconded after the incident. CBI planned a meticulous operation, traced their hideout in Mumbai using technical and human intelligence and arrested the four accused.
These are the first arrests made in the case after the CBI took over the case on March 21 and registered an FIR into the matter following the order of the Calcutta High Court.
"The arrests were made on the basis of technical evidence. They are among 21 accused who were named in the FIR," said a senior CBI officer.
The CBI official said that the accused persons escaped to Mumbai after the incident. A team of CBI was tracking them.
The arrested persons were produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court to get transit remand till April 10.
"The other accused in the case will be arrested soon. CBI teams are conducting raids to nab other accused in the case," the CBI officer added.
As many as nine people were killed in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal's Birbhum last month after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh.
According to the FIR copy in Birbhum violence, at 9.35 pm on March 21, Rampurhat Police received information that some houses in Bogtul village had caught fire and were burning.
Police reached Bogtui village at 10.05 pm and found that "eight houses and some straw heaps caught devastative fire and were burning fiercely," said the FIR copy.
At about 10.25 pm, the fire brigade personnel of Rampurhat Fire and Emergency Services arrived at the spot with two fire tenders and started fire fighting operations. During fire fighting operations, four persons were recovered with burn injuries. They were immediately shifted to Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital. The fire was brought under control and at about 2 am the fire brigade personnel left the spot, the FIR reads.
"Due to immense heat, it was not possible to get into those burnt houses at that time. However, the search process for injured and affected persons was continued on March 22 (next day) morning at about 7.10 am, the fire brigade personnel again arrived at the village and joined in search operations," as per the complainant's statement in the FIR.
The FIR further stated that most of the houses were completely gutted and also were found to have been ransacked. While the search operation was in progress, seven burnt dead bodies in totally charred condition were recovered from the houses. One injured person rescued from the house succumbed to her serious burn injuries during treatment at a hospital.
All the bodies were charred to death beyond recognition. The bodies were immediately shifted to Rampurhat College and Hospital for holding post-mortem examination, the FIR stated.