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‘No reason for a CBI probe into Netai violence'

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government sees no reason why the investigation into the violence at Netai in the Lalgarh area of the State's Paschim Medinipur district should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as it has found no lacunae in the on-going probe by the State's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into the incident.

This, it was learnt, has been stated in the affidavit submitted to the Calcutta High Court on behalf of the State Government by State's Home Secretary G. D. Gautama on Thursday.

The High Court had earlier directed the Home Secretary to submit an affidavit stating the State Government's position on various issues relating to the violence at Netai in which seven persons were killed on January 7.

A division Bench comprising Chief Justice J. N. Patel and Justice A. K. Roy had issued the order following a public interest litigation filed on January 10 by the Calcutta High Court Bar Association praying for, among other things, an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the violence at Netai.

The matter will be taken up for hearing on Friday.

‘Impartial probe'

The State Government has indicated in its affidavit that it is being ensured that investigations into the Netai incident are conducted expeditiously and impartially. The CID is carrying out its probe properly, it claimed.

The State Government which had also been directed to state its stand with regard to allegations of the existence of armed camps in the region has, in the affidavit, indicated that all necessary steps would be taken in accordance with the law, if such camps are detected. Arms, if found, would be seized.

It shall ensure that no such camps exist for the purpose of storing arms and weapons by or on the instruction of any political party, the affidavit states.

In this regard the State's Chief Secretary, Samar Ghosh, said that Superintendents of Police of the three districts of Paschimi Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura had been instructed to check on the existence of armed camps in their respective areas.

On the question of the State Government's stand on the payment of interim compensation to the victims of the Netai violence, its view -- as stated in the affidavit -- is that it might not be proper to make any announcement on the matter since the investigation by the CID is on.

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