Birbhum (West Bengal): Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari staged a protest along with party workers in front of the SDO office of Rampurhat on Saturday over the Birbhum violence.
The BJP leaders demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Centre’s intervention in the matter. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe of the Birbhum violence case following the Calcutta High Court order.
A 15-member team of the Central agency reached the crime scene in Rampurhat on Saturday to probe the case. Meanwhile, CBI has named 21 accused under Section 147, 148, 149, and other Sections in FIR on suspected offense of armed rioting.
Director-General of Police (DGP) West Bengal, Manoj Malviya on Friday informed that 11 arrests have been made in the case so far.
A total of eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Bhadu Sheikh. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to Bagtui village on Thursday to meet the kin of those killed in the violence.
On Friday, the Calcutta HC directed the SIT formed by the West Bengal government to hand over case papers and accused persons arrested by it to the central probe agency.
The Court had also directed the state government to install CCTV cameras for round-the-clock surveillance. Following this direction, CCTV cameras have been installed in the violence-affected area of Rampurhat.
Also, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government over the arson incident.
The move came after a nine-member delegation of BJP MPs from West Bengal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought his intervention and action against the perpetrators involved in the crime.
