Birbhum Violence: CBI Names 21 In FIR, Says Houses Set Ablaze With Intention Of Killing People

The CBI team, consisting of around 20 members, went inside the house where charred bodies of seven people were found.

Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday named 21 accused in its FIR in the Birbhum arson case. In Bogtui village of West Bengal’s Birbhum, unidentified people had on March 21 set 10 houses on fire in the village, killing at least eight people, including women and children. In it’s In its FIR, the CBI named 21 accused under Section 147, 148, 149 among other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on suspected offence of armed rioting.

The investigation agency in its FIR stated that according to prima facie the violence was meted out in “retaliation” to avenge the murder of Bhadu Sheikh, the TMC ‘upa-pradhan’ of the local panchayat, who was allegedly killed in a crude bomb attack by unknown assailants the day before.

As per the FIR, the “unruly mob of 70-80 people” ransacked victims’ houses and set them on fire with a “view to kill the persons inside”.

CBI probe

The Calcutta High Court on Friday handed over the investigation into the Birbhum killings to the CBI and set a deadline of April 7 to submit its progress report. Following this, a team of the investigation agency reached Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Saturday and started its investigation into the violence that claimed eight lives earlier this week.

The CBI team, consisting of around 20 members, went inside the house where charred bodies of seven people were found.

Sleuths of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CSFL), a unit of the CBI, also visited the gutted houses and started collecting samples.