Bengal Ram Navami clashes: NIA ready to take over investigation

Kolkata, April 10 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday informed the Calcutta High Court that if the court orders, it is ready to take over the investigation on the clashes over Ram Navami processions in Howrah and Hooghly districts that started since March 30 and continued till April 3.

The NIA announced its stand before the division bench of acting Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya during a hearing on a public interest litigation filed by the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Monday.

Even the bench observed that it too feels that a central agency probe is necessary in this matter, but reserved its order.

During the course of the hearing, Justice Sivagnanam observed that it will not be possible for the state police to ascertain who are actually responsible for instigating such clashes.

"From the police report submitted in the court it is evident that there was a serious breach of law and order over the event. Such events terrorise common people. That is where the necessity of a central agency probe is felt. The same thing is happening year after year. We are really worried about the safety of the common people," he said.

Referring to the incidence of stone pelting from the roofs of residences, Justice Sivagnanam questioned why such huge quantities of stones were stocked at the roofs beforehand. "It is not possible that such stones were brought to the roofs within ten minutes after the tension started," he said.

The commissioner of Chandernagore City Police on April 7 had submitted a report on the clashes over Ram Navami procession at Rishra in Hooghly district, where it had held those participating in the procession as responsible for instigating the violence.

In the report it was said that that those participating in the procession had been constantly "instigating" the local people by using "abusive and offensive" language constantly since the beginning of the procession.

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