Calcutta HC orders CBI-NIA to probe alleged forced religious conversion case in Malda district

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 22 : The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Authority (NIA) to probe an alleged case of forced conversion in West Bengal's Malda district.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha was adjudicating upon a plea moved by two women who claimed that their husbands, brothers by relation and residents of the Kaliachak area of the district, were converted to Islam by force as part of a punishment for working for a political party which lost the last Assembly elections.
The court adjourned and listed the matter for hearing on June 21, 2022 for further consideration.
Accordingly, the Court sought inputs from the police with regard to allegations of forced conversions, cross-border infiltration, threats and intimidation by accumulation and storage of huge quantities of arms and ammunition, and counterfeit currency.
"Since the NIA and the CBI are the respondents to the instant proceeding, appropriate inputs may be given from their sides as regards to allegations made in the writ petition, the Court directed.
The Court directed the Superintendent of Police of Malda district to independently submit a detailed report by way of an affidavit on steps taken by the police and findings of any preliminary enquiry report or any other vital information. "A detailed chronology of events before and after receipt of complaints from the petitioners may also be set out by the police," the order copy read.
Since the petitioners apprehend a serious threat to their lives, the Court directed the Malda SP to immediately review the security of the complainants.