CBI says it has registered 51 cases in connection with post-poll violence in West Bengal

The CBI has registered 51 cases so far in connection with post-poll violence in West Bengal and has charge-sheeted 100 people in 20 cases within four months of the probe, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.The Calcutta High Court had ordered the agency to probe cases of rape, attempt to rape and murder reported from West Bengal during the poll process.The CBI has registered the cases meeting only these criteria which are under progress.

The CBI has registered 51 cases so far in connection with post-poll violence in West Bengal and has charge-sheeted 100 people in 20 cases within four months of the probe, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered the agency to probe cases of rape, attempt to rape and murder reported from West Bengal during the poll process.

''The CBI has registered the cases meeting only these criteria which are under progress. As on January 1, 2022, CBI has registered 51 cases, has filed charge sheets in 20 cases, in about four months. Over 100 persons have been charge-sheeted,'' CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi said.

He asserted that no case meeting the criteria laid down by the High Court of Calcutta and referred by NHRC has been closed. ''In so far as 29 complaints of sexual offences referred by NHRC, CBI has registered seven regular cases and rest have been/and are being legally processed,'' Joshi said.

He said two cases referred by the NHRC were sent by the agency to the State Special Investigation Team constituted by the Calcutta High Court, the agency said.

''It may be stated that Calcutta High Court had ordered the CBI on August 19, 2021 to investigate the incidents involving offences of murder, rape and attempt to rape. As such, CBI has registered the cases meeting only these criteria which are under progress,'' CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi said.

''It is clarified that CBI had received 29 number of complaints of sexual offences from NHRC till December 22, 2021. Out of these, two cases have been decided by the CBI for handing over to State SIT on the grounds of nature of offences, in line with the mandate given in the orders of the Calcutta High Court,'' Joshi said.

Joshi said the state police had also referred 64 incidents to CBI in furtherance of the high court order.

''Out of it, 39 number of offences were taken over by CBI by registering regular cases, four references are under process while 21 number of references were returned to State Police/SIT on the ground of nature of offence, as CBI has been mandated in the order of the Calcutta High Court dated August 19, 2021 to investigate post-poll violence cases of murder, rape and attempt to rape,'' he said.

Joshi said at the time of submission of the Status Report before the high court on December 22, 2021, the CBI had registered 50 regular cases and one Preliminary Enquiry into the incidents of post-poll violence.

''By the time of submission of Status Report, CBI had submitted charge sheet in 10 cases while remaining cases are under progress,'' he said.

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