Birbhum: 8 people - all women and children - were beaten and burnt alive by a mob
The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case of eight people burnt alive in West Bengal's Birbhum. The Calcutta High Court had transferred the case to the CBI after denying a request by the Mamata Banerjee government to not hand over the investigation to the central agency earlier today.
Eight people - including five women and two children - were beaten and burnt alive by a mob on Tuesday.
A Special Investigation Team formed by the Bengal government has handed over the case to the CBI. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj told the CBI to file a progress report by April 7.
A team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory are at the crime scene, collecting samples and evidence.
A forensics team at the crime scene in West Bengal's Birbhum
Ms Banerjee has said the suspects would be hunted down if they did not surrender. Battling a furious political backlash over the savage killings and accused by the opposition BJP of condoning political violence, the Chief Minister also alleged that "something big" was behind the incident.
The Chief Minister has indicated she is wary of her rivals politicising the incident. Ms Banerjee and the BJP-led centre has long been fighting on several fronts and the latest incident may just open up another front.
Six women and two children were locked in their homes and burnt alive by a mob on Tuesday at village Bogtui near Rampurhat town, in what was believed to be retaliation after a local Trinamool Congress leader, Bhadu Sheikh, was killed in a crude bomb attack. Charred bodies were found a day later, mostly belonging to one family.