The high court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the alleged unnatural death of a labourer in Rajarhat in April 2021.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ordered the probe after he said he was not satisfied with the investigation conducted by Rajarhat police station into the death of Waqil Ahmed, 30.
Ahmed was transferring soil from a plot owned by ZiaulRahaman to another plot with an earth-moving machine in April 2021 in Rajarhat when trouble broke out. According to the prosecution, when Ahmed was excavating the soil, a group of men went to the spot and threatened him saying they would not allow him to lift soil from the plot.
The mob destroyed the machine and drove Ahmed out of the plot, the prosecution said.
The prosecution has alleged that the deputy chief of the local gram panchyat and others had demanded money from Ahmed. When he refused, they assaulted him.
Ahmed lodged a complaint with Rajarhat police station but that yielded no result, the lawyer representing Ahmed’sfamily had told the court.
On April 14, 2021, Ahmed was found dead on a road inRajarhat. Police had conducted a probe and come to the conclusion that Ahmed had died in an accident. But Ahmed’s father, Iman Ali Molla, was not satisfied with the police report and filed a petition in Calcutta High Court.
Justice Mantha had asked a physician and a forensic expert to verify the police report. The two told the court that the police were not cooperating with them. After the court intervened, the police handed the investigation-related documents to the two.
After verifying the police report, the experts opined that Ahmed had died because of a head injury.
On Thursday, the judge ordered the CBI probe and directed Rajarhat police station to hand all related documents to the CBI without delay.
The matter will be heard again on April 4.
While handing the investigation to the CBI, the judges said land mafia was active in vast areas of Bidhannagar and Rajarhat.