The All-India Matua Mahasangha chief and BJP MP and junior Union minister Shantanu Thakur on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into last week’s attack on devotees on their way to the community’s grand congregational festival — the Matua Maha Dharma Mela 2022 — at Barasat’s Kazipara in North 24-Parganas.

“Only a CBI probe can trace out the masterminds, which the Bengal police will not do,” he said.

At least 10 persons, among around 50 devotees travelling by bus from Narendrapur to the Matua headquarters at Thakurnagar in North 24-Parganas, were injured when a gang of armed goons attacked the vehicle near Kazipara railway crossing in Barasat early last Thursday, said the victims.

The attack left two devotees critically injured, Mahasangha sources said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the Matua devotees, police have so far arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in the attack.

But Matua leader Thakur, who is also the BJP MP of Bongaon and junior shipping minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet, appeared “unhappy” with the police action.

He alleged that investigating officers did not try to find out the masterminds behind the attack.

“The police are deliberately trying to protect the conspirators. We need to know the masterminds behind the heinous attack on innocent devotees. Only a CBI probe can do that,” he said.

On Saturday, Barasat district superintendent of police Rajnarayan Mukherjee claimed there was no planned attack or conspiracy hatched against Matua devotees.

“An altercation between the devotees and a group of villagers during a traffic jam on a narrow bridge turned into a clash in which some devotees were injured,” Mukherjee said.

“The driver of the bus carrying the devotees tried to overtake the other vehicles that angered some villagers who then allegedly hurled stones at the vehicle leading to the clash,” the SP added.

However, the BJP leader is not convinced by such a claim from the police.

Speaking to reporters, Thakur said: “Police officials have political compulsions and are acting on the advice of the ruling party... We are not satisfied with the manner in which cops have slammed cases on the suspected goons.”

“We will examine whether the police have invoked appropriate sections of the IPC against the accused persons,” Thakur added.

“We will wait to see what the police finally do. We have little faith in them and believe only a CBI probe can help unearth the conspiracy behind the attack,” he added.