Kolkata (West Bengal),
August 19: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) to investigate the murders and crimes against women during
the post-poll violence in West Bengal.
A five-judge bench of
the High Court headed by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal also formed a
Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe all other cases of post-poll violence
in West Bengal, a media report said.
The Court said that it
will monitor the CBI and SIT investigations in the post-poll violence in West
Bengal. It also directed the West Bengal government to hand over all records of
the cases to the CBI for further investigation.
"All cases as per
report of NHRC committee where allegations are about murder of person or crime
against women regarding rape or attempt to rape shall be referred to CBI for the investigation," the court said, as per reports. "It shall be a court
monitored investigation and any obstruction in the course of investigation by
anyone shall be viewed seriously".
Several people were
killed while hundreds were injured following the declaration of assembly
elections in West Bengal in May. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 77
seats in West Bengal, has accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress
(TMC) of killing its party workers in the state.
The National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) has also submitted its report over the post-poll
violence in West Bengal and slammed the TMC government while recommending a CBI
probe. In its 50-page report, the NHRC said that the situation in the state is
a "manifestation of the law of ruler instead of rule of law".
"The
spatio-temporal expanse of violent incidents in the state of West Bengal
reflects the appalling apathy of the state government towards the plight of
victims. This was retributive violence by supporters of the ruling party
against supporters of the main opposition party," the NHRC report said.
However, the TMC has
slammed the Centre and NHRC over post-poll violence in West Bengal and said
that it is a "political vendetta" of the BJP. TMC supremo Mamata
Banerjee has also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government in
the Centre of using "impartial agencies" to disrupt her government.
"What would you call it other than political vendetta of the BJP? It is yet to digest defeat (in the assembly polls) and that is why the party is resorting to such tricks," Banerjee had said earlier.