Howrah Ram Navami clashes: CID takes over investigation

Kolkata, April 1 (IANS) The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal police has taken over the charge of investigation on the clashes in Howrah district on Thursday over a Ram Navami procession that started on Wednesday and continued on Friday.

Sources from the state government said that investigation will be conducted by the special operation group (SOG) under CID and the investigation team will be headed by an officer in the rank of deputy inspector general (DIG) of police.

West Bengal Governor C. V. Ananda Bose late Friday evening issued a strongly worded statement directing the police to be objective, strong and fair in the matter.

State secretariat sources said that the decision of handing over the charge of investigation in the matter to the CID was taken by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself after discussion with the Governor, in which she assured the constitutional head of the state of necessary and prompt action in the matter.

The Governor has already announced the constitution of special cell at Raj Bhavan for real-time monitoring of the situation.

Meanwhile, though no fresh incidence of clash or violence occurred in the troubled pockets in Howrah district, the ambience continues to be tense there. Constant patrolling in the area by mobile police teams and the ban of gathering in those areas is still in force.

Already, a public interest litigation has been filed by the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Sevendu Adhikari demanding central agency probe in the clashes over Ram Navami procession.

Meanwhile, political slugfest over the clashes are on. On one hand, Trinamool Congress leadership has claimed that tension broke out after the organisers of the procession at Howrah changed the route of the procession at the last moment, while on the other hand, the opposition parties like the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) claimed that it was a failure on the part of the police that they could not stop the procession from changing the route.