Kolkata, 20 February (H.S.) : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday emailed the police in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, seeking the case diary related to last month’s violence in Beldanga, an agency official said.

According to the official, no concrete steps have yet been taken to hand over the case diary to the central probe agency. The NIA has reportedly cited directions from the Supreme Court of India, which asked that the case diary in the Beldanga violence matter be submitted by February 26. The agency is currently monitoring the next course of action by the Murshidabad district police.

Beldanga in Murshidabad district witnessed prolonged unrest in January following reports of the death of a migrant worker, Alauddin Sheikh, in Jharkhand. On January 16, after his body was brought back, protests erupted, with local residents taking to the streets. Demonstrations were also held over the deaths of migrant workers from West Bengal in other states.

Protesters blocked a national highway, burned tyres, and staged aggressive demonstrations on January 16. Train services on the Sealdah-Lalgola section were disrupted due to the unrest. A woman journalist was also allegedly attacked in Beldanga on the same day.

Although police managed to control the situation on the first day, tensions resurfaced on January 17. In court, the police claimed that while the first day’s protest was somewhat spontaneous, the violence on the second day appeared to be premeditated. A total of 36 people, including a leader of a political party, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the violence.

The Calcutta High Court had observed that if the Centre so desired, it could hand over the investigation of the Beldanga violence to the NIA. It also noted that the state government could seek additional central forces if required to maintain law and order. Following the High Court’s observations, the Union Home Ministry transferred the probe to the NIA.

During hearings on the state government’s plea, the Supreme Court declined to stay the NIA investigation. However, it directed the agency to submit a preliminary report to a division bench of the Calcutta High Court in a sealed cover, explaining the prima facie grounds for invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case. The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, will independently consider the report while hearing the state government’s appeal.

The case diary is considered crucial for the NIA to advance its investigation into the Beldanga violence.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh