Calcutta High Court orders SIT probe into Sandeshkhali gangrape

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the gangrape of a woman that took place in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, in which a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Dilip Mallik is an accused. .A Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh passed the order after noting that there has already been delay in the investigation of the case. The Court has ordered the Sandeshkhali Police to hand over the case records to the SIT Team, which will include Bireswar Chatterjee (Assistant Commissioner of Police, Homicide Section, Detective Department, Lalbazar) and IPS officer Rahul Mishra (SDPO, Baduria, Basirhat Police District). "The two senior officers would choose a team of Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors according to their choice for conducting investigation of the case," the Court added. .The Court also ordered the SIT to give monthly progress reports to the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) in Basirhat. "The present investigation team will put in efforts as there has already been delay, collect materials if required send the samples collected or samples required to be collected to the forensic experts and apply their mind so that effectively the investigation of the case can be taken to its logical conclusion," the Court added..The Court passed the order on a plea moved by the rape survivor. According to reports, the woman complained of rape in May last year. She accused three persons of the crime, including TMC block president Dilip Mallick and one, Saikat Das.The survivor also submitted that she was being threatened to withdraw her criminal complaint, prompting her to move the High Court for intervention. The Court reviewed the case diary on January 27 and expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of the investigation. In the ensuing hearing on January 29, the Court proceeded to order an SIT probe into the matter. Justice Ghosh, however, clarified that he has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case. .Violence in Sandeshkhali has come under the High Court's scanner earlier as well. In February 2024, the Court took suo motu cognisance of reports that women in Sandeshkhali were subjected to sexual assault "at gunpoint" and that tribal lands were being forcibly taken away from villagers. Several petitions were also filed that year over public unrest in the area due to such issues. Reports emerged that lands of residents in Sandeshkhali were forcefully grabbed by TMC leaders and their aides and that women in the village were also being routinely sexually assaulted by such persons. TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh were among those who were accused of being at the forefront of such acts. He was suspended by the party after the allegations emerged. He was arrested in the case after being on the run for around 55 days. In April that year, the High Court also ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct the probe against him.In the present case, Advocates Sabyasachi Chatterjee, Subhrajit Saha, Badrul Karim, Omar Farooq Gazi and Monalisha Sinha appeared for the petitioner (rape survivor).Advocate General Kishore Datta, and Additional Government Pleader Swapan Banerjee along with Advocates Sumita Shaw, Soumen Chatterjee and Debangshu Dinda appeared for the State. .[Read Order]