Kolkata, July 30 (IANS) After receiving the state cabinet’s approval last week, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) police station has been set up in West Bengal. The state secretariat Nabanna announced the formation of this police station by issuing a notification on Thursday.
The NIA had been planning to set up its own police station in Kolkata since the previous government. However, it was not implemented due to the non-cooperation of the then Trinamool Congress government. This time, the first NIA police station in West Bengal has been established after the change of government in the state.
In addition to the headquarters in Delhi, there are NIA police stations in big cities like Mumbai and Chennai. Even smaller cities like Ranchi, Kochi, and Imphal also have NIA police stations. These police stations are mainly opened in different cities for the convenience of the central investigation agency’s work. However, the same could not happen in Kolkata for so long. The NIA had to file FIRs from Delhi to investigate all cases in West Bengal. That problem has now been resolved.
Currently, the NIA office is in the NBCC building in the New Town area of Kolkata. The state home department has issued a notification stating that an NIA police station is being set up on the 16th floor of the same building. All NIA cases across the state will be registered from this police station in New Town.
During the previous Trinamool government, there was a proposal to set up an NIA police station in the state. However, the state government did not issue any notification in this regard. Within three months of the change of government, the cabinet of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari approved the establishment of the NIA police station in the state.
The NIA started its investigation in the state in 2014 with the Khagragarh blasts. After 12 years, the agency has finally got its own police station in West Bengal.
The proposal to set up an NIA police station in the state was accepted in the state cabinet meeting on July 22. During Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s last visit to West Bengal, a meeting was held with the Chief Minister regarding law and order and security in the state.
–IANS
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