The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken the Beldanga violence case to the Calcutta High Court, contesting the conditional bail granted to 15 accused individuals by a lower court. NIA alleges that the bail was given against Supreme Court directives, stating that bail during an ongoing investigation is improper. The accused received bail due to NIA’s failure to file a charge sheet within the mandated 90 days.
The law requires a charge sheet to be filed within a specific timeframe after arrests. Despite the 90-day period lapsing, NIA had not submitted a final charge sheet or investigation report. The agency’s officials could not provide satisfactory progress updates to the court, leading to the accused seeking bail, which was granted by a special court on a Rs 10,000 bond with restrictions on their movements.
The case is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday to determine whether the lower court’s decision will stand or if NIA will regain custody of the 15 individuals through High Court intervention.
A special NIA court recently granted conditional bail to 15 out of 35 accused individuals related to the Beldanga violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district earlier this year. The violence erupted following the death of a migrant worker in Jharkhand, with tensions escalating upon the worker’s body reaching Beldanga.
Protesters in Beldanga alleged the worker was lynched in Jharkhand due to religious and linguistic reasons, leading to demonstrations that included blockades of railways and roads. Confrontations with police resulted in violent clashes, including attacks on journalists. Subsequently, Jharkhand Police declared the worker’s death as suicide based on the post-mortem report.
Former cricketer and Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Yusuf Pathan faced criticism for his absence during the unrest. The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, petitioned for Central Armed Police Forces deployment in Beldanga and NIA involvement, a move supported by the Supreme Court. NIA commenced its investigation into the matter.
