CBI names 21 in FIR over Birbhum violence that killed 8 people

After the Calcutta high court's order, CBI team visited Rampurhat police station in Birbhum distrct, taken various files and documents related to the violence case and gone to the site of the violence. A team of the CBI's Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) collected samples for forensic examination and took a look at the houses gutted in the fire on Friday. CBI on Saturday named 21 accused in its FIR in the arson case in Bogtui village of West Bengal’s Birbhum under Section 147, 148, 149 among other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).  The FIR states that an "unruly mob of 70-80 people" ransacked the houses of the victims and set 10 houses on fire in the village, killing at least eight people, including women and children.

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  of the local panchayat, who was allegedly killed in a crude bomb attack by unknown assailants the day before. The High Court has asked the CBI to file a status report in this case within a week.