Kolkata, February 27 – After a prolonged dispute, the West Bengal Police agreed on Friday to hand over the case diary in the recent Beldanga violence case in the minority-dominated Murshidabad district to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA is investigating the matter following clearances from the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court.
The state police also informed a trial court in Kolkata of its decision to transfer the case diary to the NIA. The court subsequently remanded seven accused to seven days of NIA custody. The remaining 24 accused will remain in judicial custody during this period.
On Friday, when the trial court directed the state police to hand over the case diary to the NIA, the state police's legal counsel offered to transfer the documents immediately within the courtroom.
However, the NIA's legal counsel declined the offer and insisted that the formal protocol be followed, with the case diary being handed over at the NIA office in Kolkata. The state police later agreed to comply with the procedure.
In January this year, tension and violence erupted in Beldanga following the circulation of alleged false information about the death of a migrant worker from the area in neighbouring Jharkhand. The Jharkhand Police later termed the death a case of suicide, citing the post-mortem report.
Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, had approached the Calcutta High Court seeking an NIA investigation into the violence.
After the High Court permitted the NIA to investigate the case, the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court seeking to quash the order for an NIA investigation.
However, the apex court declined to intervene. Despite this, the impasse continued for some time, with the state police initially refusing to hand over the case diary to the central agency.
