CBI gets more complaints from victims of Bengal post poll violence

The Central Bureau of Investigation that is probing the cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal under the direction of the Calcutta High Court, has recently written to the National Human Rights Commission to send them the list of complaints that could not be probed because of circumstantial pressure.

The central agency wanted to get the list because it was receiving a series of complaints from several people who are not in the NHRC list submitted to the High Court.

The NHRC in their report to the Calcutta High Court had mentioned 29 cases of murder and 12 cases of rape and sexual harassment in post-poll violence in the state but the CBI officers have reasons to believe that the figure is much higher than expected.

CBI sources said that even some victims and their family members, whose cases are yet to be registered, have been rushing the CBI office in Kolkata to get their complaints registered. Sources further said that although the members of the CBI investigating teams are going to places in the state to investigate the cases, they are yet to reach out to all corners.

"People are getting in touch with us with new complaints. The number of complaints is high enough and it doesn't figure in the NHRC list. We have asked the NHRC to provide us a list of people that could not be enquired for some other reasons," a CBI officer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

"It seems that the visits of our team members to the districts and villages have brought courage in the shattered minds and more people are coming forward to register their complaints. It seems that they failed to register their complaints with the state police and hence, they are now rushing to our office and camps," the officer added.

According to sources in the agency, so far, the CBI got in touch with 40 such families who voluntarily submitted their detailed complaints along with their addresses. "We will examine the gravity of these complaints and accordingly send officers to their residence for further investigation," he added.

The CBI officers suspect that there are more families who will have to be convinced so that they can get out of their fear and approach the probe agency.

Already CBI's Deputy Inspector General in Kolkata, Akhilesh Singh, has been called to the CBI headquarters in Delhi. Singh will brief them on the progress of the investigation so far. Based on the report of Singh, it is expected that the agency will give further instructions to the investigating teams in West Bengal.