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Journalism of Courage
The Calcutta High Court Wednesday ordered the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) comprising officers of the CBI and West Bengal Police to probe the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali earlier this month.
On January 5, ED officers and central forces were attacked by a mob when they went to the house of Shahjahan Sheikh, a TMC Zila Parishad member from Ajunjipara, in connection with the agency’s investigation into alleged irregularities in West Bengal’s public distribution system (PDS).
A single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta said that the High Court will monitor the investigation and ordered that the SIT should not submit the final investigation report without intimating the HC.
The ED had moved two petitions at the Calcutta High Court in connection with the Sandeshkhali incident. One sought the quashing of the FIR lodged at Nazat police station in North 24 Parganas district against its officials, claiming false allegations were made against them. The ED stated that three of its officers were injured and their belongings were snatched during the attack in Sandeshkhali.
Another petition was moved by ED lawyers S V Raju and Dhiraj Trivedi seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Sandeshkhali incident.
Last week, while hearing one of the petitions, a single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ordered an interim stay on proceedings in connection with the FIR against ED officials until March 31. Justice Mantha also asked the West Bengal government to file an affidavit in this regard and sought a copy of the case diary from the state police. The court will hear the matter on January 22.
The West Bengal Police have registered three FIRs in the incident, including one against ED officers. No one has been arrested so far.
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