Kolkata, June 10: The Kolkata High Court has instructed the West Bengal government to clarify its stance on the ongoing investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the violence and riot-like situation that occurred in Beldaanga, Murshidabad district, earlier this year.
In January, when the NIA commenced its investigation, the previous Trinamool Congress government, led by Mamata Banerjee, challenged this move in the Supreme Court. The current question is whether the new government in West Bengal will pursue the matter in the Supreme Court or allow the NIA’s investigation to continue.
A case was also filed in the Kolkata Court regarding this matter. According to an order uploaded on Wednesday morning, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen directed the state government to clarify its position on the issue.
During the hearing, the state government’s lawyer informed the bench that while the government is not fundamentally opposed to the NIA’s ongoing investigation, it requires more time to determine whether the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, would apply in this case.
Following this, the division bench instructed the state government to provide its opinion on the matter by next week.
The violence in Beldaanga was triggered by the death of a migrant worker from the neighboring state of Jharkhand earlier this year. Tensions escalated after the worker’s body arrived in Beldaanga, with local protesters alleging that he was lynched due to religious and linguistic reasons in Jharkhand. Protests began with blockades of rail and road routes.
When police attempted to clear the blockade, protesters launched a surprise attack, injuring several journalists, some of whom were seriously hurt. Subsequently, the Jharkhand police stated in a release that the post-mortem report indicated the migrant worker’s death was a case of suicide.
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