Calcutta High Court orders SIT probe into attack on ED officers

Single-judge Justice Jay Sengupta ordered a thorough probe into the incident by an SIT which will consist of officers from both the State Police and also the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Enforcement Directorate
Enforcement Directorate
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The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the attack on officers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier this month in West Bengal while they were conducting raids in relation to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam [Enforcement Directorate vs State of West Bengal].

Single-judge Justice Jay Sengupta ordered a thorough probe into the incident by an SIT which will consist of officers from both the State Police and also the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

"The Superintendent of Police, Islampur will be the State's nominee. Both the CBI and State will have equal number of personnel in the SIT, which shall be at liberty to requisition Central Forces. The SIT to submit its report before this court by February 12," the Court said. 

The order was passed on a plea filed by the ED alleging that the local police was not probing the incident in a fair manner.

During a hearing held on January 16, the Court had ordered the local police investigating the case to install CCTV cameras around the house of Shahjahan, the prime accused in the case. 

As per reports, the ED officers were attacked on January 5 near the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Party leader Sheikh Shahjahan. Shahjahan is said to have close links to Jyotipriyo Mallick (presently a State Minister for Forests), who was reportedly arrested in connection with the ration distribution scam in October last year.

On January 5, around 200 local people are said to have surrounded and gheraoed ED officers who had arrived to raid Shahjahan's residence at Akunjipara.

Both the ED officers as well as paramilitary forces accompanying them were attacked forcing the ED to leave the area. It was also reported that three ED officers were injured.

In the wake of this incident, the Governor of West Bengal CV Ananda Bose had later called for the arrest of Shahjahan.

Later, a division bench led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam had refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition that highlighted the incident. The bench had opined that the ED, being a central agency, is not so "powerless or helpless" that it would need protection through a PIL filed by a third party.

Story to be updated.

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