CID books 7 CBI officers in Bogtui accused's death in custody
Kolkata(PTI): West Bengal CID Wednesday booked seven CBI officers including the DIG and an SP in connection with its probe into the custodial death of Lalan Shiekh, a prime accused in the Bogtui violence, an official said.
The seven have been booked on the charge of murder and other sections of the Indian Penal Code, a CID official said.
The state agency booked them following a police complaint lodged by Sheikh's wife, Reshma Bibi on Tuesday and sent to the additional chief judicial magistrate of Rampurhat district court.
An FIR has been lodged in the case under IPC sections 302 (murder), 323 (causing hurt) and 325 (assault and grievous hurt, 120b (criminal conspiracy), 448 (trespass), 509 (defamation of a woman and various other serious charges), he added.
The violence at Bogtui in Birbhum district took place on March 21, 2022 in the aftermath of the death of Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh near his residence. Several houses were set on fire and ten people were reportedly killed.
When contacted, a CBI official claimed that a couple of the seven officers named by CID in its FIR are not linked to the ongoing probe into the Bogtui massacre.
"It is quite mysterious why some of our senior officers who had no link with the Bogtui violence case have been named in the FIR lodged by the CID. We are trying to challenge this move legally," the CBI officer told PTI. Reshma Bibi in her complaint alleged that the CBI officials had threatened to kill Sheikh when they took him to their residence at Bogtui village as part of the investigation. She also claimed that she was beaten by CBI officers during that visit.
The woman has also claimed that CBI officers called her up on Monday afternoon and informed her about Sheikh's death. During it they had threatened to kill her and her son, Reshma Bibi asserted.
The CBI rebuffed the allegations as "baseless and bereft of truth".
Meanwhile, a senior CBI officer reached the city on Tuesday night and held back-to-back meetings at the agency's office here to determine its next move against the state CID's FIR, a source in it said.
Sheikh was found hanging on Monday in the washroom of a temporary CBI office set up in a guest house at Rampurhat in West Bengal's Birbhum district. CBI officials claimed that he died by suicide and his family alleged that his death was due to torture in custody.
The district police too is probing the death.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
