Amid an eerie calm prevailing over the Bogtui village near Rampurhat town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district after eight people were killed in arson earlier this week, a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reached the village on Saturday and started its investigation into the violence.
Unidentified people had on March 21 set 10 houses on fire in the village, killing at least eight people, including women and children. The CBI team, consisting of around 20 members, went inside the house where charred bodies of seven people were found.
The Calcutta High Court had on Friday handed over the investigation into the Birbhum killings to the CBI and set a deadline of April 7 to submit its progress report. Meanwhile, the political storm over the Birbhum killings continue to remain unabated, with the ruling TMC claiming that opposition leaders were indulging in “narrow-minded politics over dead bodies” and the BJP accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led party of trying to protect the perpetrators.
Latest updates in Birbhum violence:
CBI Brings Anarul Hussain, 9 Others to its camp for Questioning
The CBI has brought 10 more accused, including Anarul Hussain, to the CBI camp for questioning. Speaking to News18 earlier, Anarul had denied all the allegations against him, saying that it was a conspiracy. He claimed that had the police been more active, the arson carnage could have been avoided.
If CBI only follows BJPs directions, we’ll protest: Mamata
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the TMC would stage protests if the CBI acted as per the BJP’s instructions. “I still think there is a conspiracy behind the Rampurhat incident. The CBI took over the charge. It is a good decision, but if they will only follow BJPs directions, we are ready to protest,” she said.
CBI starts probe
A day after the Calcutta HC handed over the investigation into the Birbhum killings to the CBI and set a deadline of April 7 to submit its progress report, a CBI team reached the village and started the probe. The CBI team is said to have conducted 3D imaging. “We are starting the investigation today. We have to conduct the probe on a war-footing as we have a deadline to meet, PTI quoted a a CBI official as saying. A team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CSFL), a unit of the CBI, also visited the gutted houses on Friday and started collecting samples.
ALSO READ: CBI Seeks Custody of 22 Accused from Rampurhat Station
CBI team to visit hospital today
The CBI team will be visiting the hospital today as part of its investigation and also will also visit Bataspur where some villagers are staying.
Over 50 CCTVs installed in Bogtui
More than 50 CCTV cameras have been installed in Bogtui village in addition to the police patrol that has been there day and night since the incident took place. Temporary police camps have been set up in Bogtui village.
35 CRPF jawans deployed for protection of CBI team
A team of 35 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans has been deployed for the protection of the CBI team probing the case in Rampurhat.
Crude bombs recovered in Birbhum
Crude bombs were recovered by police on Sunday in a plastic bag near a football ground in Sikandarpur village of Birbhum district. A bomb squad team of CID was called to defuse the bombs, news agency ANI reported.
West Bengal | Crude bombs were recovered by police earlier today in a plastic bag near a football ground in Sikandarpur village of Birbhum district. A bomb squad team of CID was called to defuse these bombs. pic.twitter.com/jmn7zePJrJ– ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2022
Political slugfest continues
While the ruling TMC claims that opposition leaders were indulging in “narrow-minded politics over dead bodies”, the BJP is accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led party of trying to protect the perpetrators. TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Saturday asserted that opposition parties were trying to “malign the image of the state government over the issue even as the administration was doing its bit to deliver justice” to the families of the eight victims killed in the violence in Rampurhat town’s Bogtui village.
ALSO READ: Buck Stops with Mamata, This is Political, Administrative Failure
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the Leader of Opposition, meanwhile, said that the truth would automatically tumble out if phone call lists of several TMC leaders are checked. Adhikari, who was leading the sit-in protest by the BJP on Saturday, alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not concerned about keeping Bengal secure.
Fleeing residents in Bogtui scared to return
Many Bogtui residents have fled to nearby villages fearing amid a sense of fear that the violence could return. Not only have most residents of Purbapara (East locality), where the killings took place in the early hours of Tuesday, left their houses in a hurry, even those of neighbouring Paschimpara (West locality) and Mayerpara (Mother’s locality) in the village have also fled. The only state-run school in the area is also reportedly almost empty while the Anganwadi lies vacant with unbolted doors, news agency PTI reported.
ALSO READ: They Have Threatened to Kill Us Once They’re Out on Bail, Says Rampurhat Woman
On Sunday morning, some villagers said they are willing to return but will first spend only the daytime in the village to see if they can stay and return fully only if they are convinced.
(With PTI inputs)
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and Ukraine-Russia War Live Updates here.