The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday started the probe into the death of two youths, who were allegedly killed in police firing at Daribhit of North Dinajpur on September 20, 2018, following the May 10 court directive.
A four-member NIA team visited the spot around noon and inspected the site of the alleged firing.
NIA officials also spoke to Manju Barman, the mother of Tapas Barman, who along with Rajesh Sarkar, was allegedly killed by police bullets while they and students of Daribhit High School had been demanding a Bengali teacher at the institution.
“The NIA officials patiently listened to a detailed description of the incident from Manju Barman for nearly one-and-a-half hours. They spoke to the other members of the family too,” a local source said.
However, the NIA team remained tight-lipped about their initial observations. Manju also refrained from recounting her conversations with NIA officials.
The state government had ordered a CID probe into the incident but the families of Tapas and Rajesh stuck totheir demand of a CBI probe, and instead of burning the bodies of the youths according to Hindu rituals, kept themburied.
According to sources, the court that ordered an NIA probe into the Daribhit deaths left the decision of holding autopsies again to the investigation agency.
The BJP has been backing the families of the two deceased youths from the start. Debasree Choudhuri, the present BJP MP of Raiganj, kicked off her poll campaign in 2019 by paying homage to the youths.
The family memberswere taken to New Delhi during the oath-taking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the PM spoke to them personally. Union home ministerAmit Shah also expressedhis support to the families at a public gathering in Siliguri later.
After the Calcutta High Court ordered the NIA probe into the incident, Choudhury said: “We have been with those families always and will keep providing them with all necessary help. We are sure that the NIA probe will unearth the reality....”
Mrityunjoy case
The sub-divisional officer of Raiganj in North Dinajpur has called all persons concerned for their statements to be recorded for a magistrate-level inquiry into the alleged police firing at Chandga village in which Mrityunjoy Barman, 33, died in the early hours of April 27.
SDO Kingshuk Maity’s public notice has asked persons concerned to maketheir submissions at the office of the Kaliaganj BDO on June 6.
SDO Maity has been entrusted with the probe by the administration, sources said. However, he did not comment on the issue. Sources said he had recorded the statements of two out of three doctors present during Mrityunjoy’s autopsy.
