Calcutta HC orders NIA probe into Ram Navami violence

The Calcutta high court last week ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the violence that occurred in West Bengal’s Howrah district during the Ram Navami celebrations in March. The high court ordered the state police to hand over the investigation to NIA. Hearing a PIL moved by BJP legislator and leader of the opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari, a bench of acting chief justice TS Sivagnanam and justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya ordered the state police to hand over the investigation to NIA. “We are convinced that no useful purpose would be served by directing the state police to register cases against those who used acid bottles and petrol bombs etc., under the Explosive Substances Act as the matter has travelled beyond that stage and it is a fit case to transfer the investigation to the NIA,” the court stated.