CBI Addl Director to be Kolkata soon in wake of Lalan Sheikh's mysterious death

Kolkata, Dec 13 (IANS) The CBI's Additional Director Ajay Bhatnagar will be in Kolkata soon to hold meetings with the agency's top officials here in wake of the mysterious death of Lalan Sheikh, the prime accused in the Bogtui carnage in Birbhum district, in the CBI custody on Monday evening.

Central Bureau of Investigation sources said that although Bhatnagar was scheduled to come to Kolkata this month to review the progress of the different cases probed by the central agency in West Bengal, the dimension of the purpose of his visit has changed totally in wake of the incident at the agency's Rampurhat camp office in Birbhum district on Monday evening.

It is learnt that during his visit, Bhatnagar might hold a separate meeting with the CBI officials who were handling the two parallel probes on Bogtui carnage and the murder of Trinamool Congress leader Vadu Sheikh following an order of the Calcutta High Court, since both these cases were related.

Sources said that there are possibilities of the Additional Director speaking separately with the agency officials deputed at the Rampurhat camp office on Monday evening to figure out whether the statutory procedures of ensuring strict security and constant monitoring of an accused in custody was maintained as per Supreme Court guidelines.

Following the mysterious death of Lalan Sheikh, CBI is already in the dock.

West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, who is currently on a tour to Meghalaya, on Tuesday said at Shillong that had CBI been such a smart organisation, how could there be a suicide or unnatural death of an accused in their custody. "His wife has already filed an FIR. We will take up the matter," she said.

In such a situation, Bhatnagar's visit to Kolkata to take stock of the stations has become immensely significant. Already the CBI has initiated an internal enquiry in the matter. At the same time the district police of Birbhum have also started their own investigation registering case incorporating serious clauses of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) like Section 302 (punishment for murder) and Section 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy.