Lalan Sheikh death: NHRC has started suo motu probe, CBI informs Calcutta HC

Kolkata, Dec 19 (IANS) National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has started a suo motu probe in the mysterious death of the Bogtui massacre case prime accused Lalan Sheikh, at the CBI custody on December 12, official said on Monday.

CBI counsel Dhiraj Trivedi informed the division bench of the Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj about the NHRC probe while hearing a PIL on Lalan Sheikh's death.

The petitioner has appealed for a CBI probe in the matter under supervision of the Calcutta High Court, since Criminal Investigation Department (CID)- West Bengal is not quite an expert to probe the matter. The petitioner has also appealed to the division bench to ensure that under no circumstance, the probe is handled by any state agency.

State's advocate general, S.N. Mukhoapdhyay countered this argument on Monday claiming that a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has already allowed CID to continue its investigation in the matter but without any cohesive actions against any CBI official, and hence there is no requirement for a fresh probe by appointing a new judge for that purpose.

While informing the division bench about the NHRC probe, CBI counsel Dhiraj Trivedi argued that the FIR based on which CID-West Bengal has started an investigation in the Lalan Sheikh death is motivated.

"The matter of death is undoubtedly quite a serious issue. But the CBI officers are being harassed unnecessarily in the name of investigation. The medical report before his death proves that Lalan Sheikh was totally fit before that unfortunate death. There is a deliberate attempt to malign the CBI," Trivedi argued.

The division bench reserved its judgement after hearing both sides.