Petition in Calcutta HC seeks NIA probe into attack on BJP MP, MLA

Kolkata, Oct 9 (IANS) A petition was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the attack on BJP Lok Sabha member Khagen Murmu and the party’s Chief Whip in the West Bengal Assembly, Shankar Ghosh.

The petition has been admitted by the court, and the matter might come up for hearing next week.

The vehicle of Murmu and Ghosh was allegedly attacked by the Trinamool Congress activists on Monday afternoon at Bamundanga in Jalpaiguri district while they were on their way to Nagrakata in the same district with relief material for the flood-affected people there.

Murmu was severely injured in that attack, and he is currently admitted to a hospital in Siliguri of Darjeeling district. Ghosh, who received minor injuries, was also admitted to the same hospital and was released from there on Wednesday afternoon.

In the petition filed at the Calcutta High Court, petitioner Anindya Sundar Ghosh expressed doubts over the outcome of the state police probe, and stressed for the investigation by the Central investigative agency for a full-proof investigation.

Till Thursday morning, four persons have been arrested in connection with the attack on Murmu and Ghosh, out of whom two were arrested on Wednesday afternoon and the other two on Thursday morning.

There had been an attempt by Trinamool Congress since the beginning to give the attack the shape of a spontaneous public grievance against the BJP.

Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, endorsed her party’s theory that the attack on the BJP Lok Sabha member Khagen Murmu and the party’s Chief Whip in the West Bengal Assembly, Shankar Ghosh, at Jalpaiguri district on Monday afternoon was a result of spontaneous public outrage, and said that the people of the area where the attack took place, were aggrieved with BJP as their elected representatives there never visited the area after getting elected.

Meanwhile, Shankar Ghosh, who was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, said on Thursday morning that he would again go with relief materials to the same place where the attack took place on him and Murmu.

--IANS

src/dpb