PIL filed in SC seeking SIT probe into Birbhum killings

Eight people were charred to death in a late-night fire at Bogtui village near Rampurhat on March 21 a couple of hours after a Trinamool Congress panchayat deputy head was killed by bike-borne miscreants.

New Delhi: A petition was filed in Supreme Court on Thursday seeking direction to constitute a Special Investigating Team (SIT) headed by a retired judge of the apex court or CBI probe into the violence in West Bengal's Bogtui village, Birbhum district that claimed eight lives. The plea Vishnu Gupta, National President Hindu Sena, asked the court to ensure that the culprits are dealt with according to the law in the incident that occurred on March 21.

Eight people were charred to death in a late-night fire at Bogtui village near Rampurhat on March 21 a couple of hours after a Trinamool Congress panchayat deputy head was killed by bike-borne miscreants.

The plea filed through advocate Barun Kumar Sinha and Abhishek sought direction that investigating agency take over all the FIRs registered by the local police of Birbhum in connection with the incident and to investigate the role played by the Director-General of Police, the government of West Bengal and any other officers of the State government in protecting the real perpetrators of the incident. Direct the investigating agency to place the report before the apex court, the plea said.

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"The Trinamool Congress local unit is trying to shift the focus to a short-circuit as the cause of the fire. Therefore, the SIT constituted by the state government is investigating the cause of the fire. They are not investigating the houses which were set on fire by the Trinamool Congress workers in retaliation of the bomb attack on Badu Sheikh and consequential death of Trinamool Congress Deputy Panchayat head namely Bhadu Sheikh," the plea added.

It further stated, "The SIT constituted by the state government is not considering the murder of more than eight persons who were not permitted to come out of their houses as the exit door was bolted by the assailants from outside. Therefore, they were burnt to death as revenge for the murder of Trinamool Congress panchayat deputy head Bhadu Sheikh."

The PIL stated the list of violent incidents that took place in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday took suo moto cognisance of the violence in West Bengal's Birbhum district where eight people were charred to death as their houses were set on fire. The incident is suspected to be the fallout of ruling TMC panchayat official's murder.

ANI