The Bengal police have started departmental proceedings against Rampurhat Sub-divisional Police Officer Sayan Ahmed days after he dropped hints before the Central Bureau of Investigation officials about alleged lack of diligence on the part of his senior officers in handling the Bagtui burning and mass murder case.
At least nine people including 7 women and two children had died on March 21 when their houses were set ablaze by the rival gangs of ruling Trinamool Congress launching a retaliatory attack within hours of — Bhadu Sheikh — a deputy pradhan of the Bagtui village in Birbhum district being bombed to death.
The police administration on Friday suspended the SDPO and started departmental inquiry against him, inside sources said adding the officer had earlier told the CBI sleuths that his senior officers --- including the district Superintendant of Police --- had summoned him at a state guest house and directed him to concentrate on a different case at the time when houses were being set ablaze by the miscreants.
The inspector in-charge of the Rampurhat police station had already been suspended a day after the incident. The CBI had questioned him earlier. According to sources Ahmed had advised his senior officers about the gravity of the situation but was told to follow the orders of his superiors that included scanning of some CCTV footages of the murder of a local village deputy pradhan Bhadu Sheikh hours before the mass burning of the houses.
Hours after his murder the angry supporters of Bhadu Sheikh had allegedly set the houses afire and murdered the nine victims.
The decision of the State police to start departmental proceedings the suspended officers comes at a time when the CBI had decided to send the samples of those killed for DNA testing, sources said.
Meanwhile, there was nightlong bombing at Sashan in North 24 Parganas in the northern suburbs of Kolkata, sources said adding bombs were hurled and several houses were attacked by the rival groups of the TMC. No one was however injured sources said.
The police immediately swung into action and recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition including bombs and bullets from Sashan and Habra area of the district sources added. In the past one week the police have recovered about 500 bombs after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the men in uniform to recover arms and bombs.