WB: Besides post poll violence, CBI to probe Narada and coal smuggling cases

A number of CBI officers who are probing the post-poll violence cases have already started visiting the worst-affected districts and interacting with the victims or their family members.

Kolkata: Besides the post-poll violence case, CBI is also re-activating its probe in cases like coal and cattle smuggling, Narada and Saradha scams before the forthcoming festive season. A number of CBI officers mostly in the ranks of deputy superintendents will be in Kolkata and will be assigned these cases. Now, the question that is making the rounds in the state's political circles is whether this development will open Pandora's box or will it lead to more arrests to be followed by massive agitations and counter agitations?

CBI deputy superintendents had always been the key officers for the agency in any field investigation. CBI sources have said that several officers in the ranks of deputy superintendents will be flown into Kolkata.

"We are focusing on two things while selecting officers for these cases. The first criteria is that those officers should be extremely conversant with the legal provisions of the cases concerned. Secondly, all should have a working knowledge about the Bengali language, which will help in their conversation with local people and witnesses in such cases. A large number of such officers will be flown in from neighbouring state of Odisha," said a CBI officer on strict condition of anonymity.

The teams of CBI officers who are probing the post-poll violence cases have already started visiting the worst-affected districts and interacting with the victims or their family members. As reported by ETV Bharat on Tuesday, their initial and first goal is to establish which police officers at district, sub-division or police station levels had shown deliberate negligence in attending to complaints of serious offences like murder, rape or attempt to murder. At the same time, the initial probe will be to track those influential leaders of the ruling party who influenced police 'inaction.'

On Wednesday, CBI has already summoned an officer of the homicide department of Kolkata police for questioning, CBI sources said that that this city police officer has been summoned relating to the killing of Avijit Sarkar at Kakurgachi area in north Kolkata. "We want to know whether the homicide department of Kolkata police followed the proper investigation procedure after the murder was reported."

ETV Bharat contacted the joint commissioner (crime) of Kolkata Police to get his reaction on this matter. However, he refused to make any comment on this development.

Recently, a team of CBI officers went to the residence of Sarkar at Kakurgachi and spoke to his family members. Biswajit Sarkar, his elder brother, went to the CGO complex and spoken to the CBI officers for quite some time. He named several influential members of the state's ruling party in connection with the murder. The homicide department official has been summoned in in this connection.