West Bengal: Protest outside CBI office with body of accused who died in custody

As police handed Sheikh's body to his family after the post-mortem at the Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital, they took it to the CBI office and started a demonstration

Kolkata: Demanding action against the CBI over the custodial death of Lalan Sheikh, one of the main accused in the Rampurhat massacre, his family demonstrated outside the agency's office in West Bengal's Birbhum district with the body on Wednesday. Sheikh was found hanging in the washroom of the CBI camp office in Rampurhat on Monday.

As police handed Sheikh's body to his family after the post-mortem at the Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital, they took it to the CBI office and started a demonstration. They also got into a scuffle with security personnel guarding the office. "CBI officers are responsible for Lalan's death. We want them to be punished. They must be arrested immediately or else we will not conduct the last rites of my husband," said Sheikh's wife Reshma Bibi.

"Why was I not allowed to see my husband after his death? There must be something mysterious," she claimed. A senior police officer said they were talking to the family so that the last rites can be performed. CBI claimed that Sheikh, one of the main accused in the killing of 10 people, died by suicide.

At least 10 people were killed as their houses in the Bogtui village in Rampurhat were allegedly firebombed in the dead of the night on March 21 after the murder of local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. Meanwhile, the state CID took over the investigation into the custodial death and sought the post-mortem report from the district police, a senior officer said. (PTI)