Opposition parties welcomed Calcutta High Court’s decision to order a CBI probe into the massacre of eight persons at Bogtui in Birbhum’s Rampurhat but the CPM and the Congress reiterated that the investigation by the central agency should be monitored by the court.

“It is clear that the people of the state had no faith in the SIT set up by the chief minister. They had the suspicion that the SIT wanted to bury the truth. This is why everybody wanted a CBI inquiry. We welcome the court's decision,” said BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh.

Justifying his statement, Ghosh said that Mamata Banerjee had unfortunately reacted to this horrific incident in a casual manner.

“She had said that such things happen in all states. After this no one can trust the police,” Ghosh added.

CPM state secretary Md Salim went a step ahead to claim that Mamata was trying to save the real culprits behind the incident and had thus ordered the arrest of Anarul Hossain, a local Trinamul leader.

The former MP claimed that Anarul's phone would be the key to investigation, since several persons were in contact with him on Monday night, when the ghastly murders were being executed.

“Be it in the name of compensation or anything else, the chief minister tried to tamper with evidence at Bogtui on Thursday. At least with the CBI investigation this will be stopped,” he said. However, Salim questioned CBI’s past records regarding cases related to this state and said the CPM was in favour of independent investigation monitored by the court.

“We have seen Saradha, Narada cases. The CBI is still investigating. It is good that the court has ordered the investigating agency to submit a report on April 7. This means that the court will be watching,” he added.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also said his party had demanded a CBI probe that would be monitored by the court. He welcomed the court's order, but added that the Congress would stick to its demand of a court-monitored probe.

The state Congress took out multiple rallies in Howrah and Calcutta on Friday, demanding justice for the deceased Anis Khan, the murdered councillors and the Bogtui massacre. At one of the rallies Anis’s father Salem Khan also walked beside Chowdhury.

In Calcutta, a Left-leaning students' platform called Students Against Fascism had organised a citizens’ rally on Friday. Several members of the intelligentsia like filmmaker Kamaleswar Mukherjee, Anik Dutta, academician Pabitra Sarkar and others participated in the rally.

At the end of the rally, SFI state secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said the students would continue their fight on the streets as long the murderers of Anis and those killed in Rampurhat don’t get justice.

The Bogtui massacre also found mention in Parliament on Friday with BJP MPs Locket Chatterjee and Rupa Ganguly speaking on the issue at Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, on Friday.

Ganguly on Friday demanded the imposition of President’s Rule in Bengal.