Post-poll violence: West Bengal govt moves SC against CBI probe

Kolkata, Sep 01: The West Bengal government has moved the Supreme Court against a CBI probe ordered into the violence after Assembly elections in the state.

The state government in its special leave petition alleged that it did not expect fair and just investigation by the central agency which is busy foisting cases against the functionaries of ruling Trinamool Congress Party.

Earlier, lawyer Anindya Sundar Das, one of the PIL petitioners on whose plea the High Court August 19 verdict had come, had filed a caveat in the apex court urging that no order be passed without hearing him if the state or other litigant move appeals.

After the TMC stormed back to power, the BJP accused the ruling party workers of unleashing violence on its members, leaving several of them dead.

The saffron camp also claimed that many homes of party activists have been destroyed, and women raped in various parts of the state.

The Calcutta High Court, after taking cognisance of an NHRC report on post-poll violence, handed over the probe to the CBI.

The NHRC committee had on July 13 submitted its final report to the court. An interim report of the NHRC committee had mentioned that Atif Rasheed, a member of the committee, was obstructed from discharging his duty and he and his team members were attacked by some undesirable elements on June 29 in Jadavpur area on the southern fringe of the city, the court noted.

The PILs had alleged that people were subjected to assault, made to flee homes and properties were destroyed during the violence in the wake of the assembly elections and sought impartial probe into the incidents.