Bhupatinagar Incident: In a recent development, the police in East Midnapore have requested the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to provide detailed accounts of their personnel’s injuries, vehicle damage, and the events that transpired during their operations. This request comes amidst escalating tensions between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and central investigative agencies, highlighted by an FIR lodged by West Bengal police against NIA officials on allegations of molestation. In response, the NIA has approached the Kolkata High Court, which is scheduled to review the matter at 2 p.m.
The request from the East Midnapore police seeks information from the NIA about the injuries sustained by their officers, any damage to their vehicle, and a chronological account of the raid activities.
The FIR was reportedly based on complaints from the family members of Manabroto Jana, a detained TMC worker, alleging that NIA officials had molested women by forcibly entering their homes late at night.
The Bengal police issued a statement indicating that two NIA officers have been summoned regarding an incident involving an attack on NIA personnel in Bhupatinagar. The notice calls for the testimony of the complainant and an injured officer as part of the investigation. The injured officer has been asked to present medical documentation and the damaged vehicle for forensic analysis.
An NIA team was allegedly confronted by a hostile crowd during an arrest operation of two key suspects linked to a 2022 explosion in Bhupatinagar, Purba Medinipur district. This incident led to a political uproar, with West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, accusing the investigators of attacking the villagers.
Following the altercation in Bhupatinagar, the NIA filed a complaint detailing the assault, mentioning an injured officer and a damaged vehicle.
This attack follows an earlier incident about three months prior, where locals and villagers had assaulted Enforcement Department (ED) personnel during a raid at the residence of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, who was arrested in relation to an alleged ration fraud.
There are unconfirmed reports that three individuals have been detained by Bengal police in connection to the attack on the NIA team.
Additionally, the NIA has issued summons to three TMC leaders — Manab Kumar Karaya, Subir Maity, and Naba Kumar Ponda — for questioning related to the Bhupatinagar explosion.
In a separate but related event, several TMC leaders staged a protest outside the Election Commission’s office in New Delhi, calling for the replacement of the heads of the CBI, NIA, ED, and income tax department. These protesting leaders were briefly detained by Delhi Police after they continued their demonstration despite police instructions to disperse, citing a violation of the prohibition on large gatherings under section 144 of the CrPC. Although the TMC leaders were later released, they vowed to continue their protest overnight at the police station.
