The Calcutta high court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal director general of police (DGP) and Kolkata police commissioner to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into Sunday's clashes between two groups at Ekbalpur in southwestern part of Kolkata.
As a state government report said that the situation is peaceful there, no order was being passed on deployment of central forces as was sought by two petitioners, the court stated.
A division bench presided over by Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the DGP and Kolkata police commissioner to constitute an SIT to take all steps for the preservation of evidence and video footage and take steps for apprehension of all those involved in the incident.
The bench said that it is for the central government to decide, taking into consideration the gravity of the incident, whether the probe is to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and that it is not passing any observation on it.
The court noted the state's submission that it has complied with the mandatory provision of informing the central government under Section 6 of the NIA Act about the incident since bombs were reported to have burst there.
The bench directed the state to submit a report before it on the constitution of the SIT and the investigation on the next date of hearing.
The matter will again come up for hearing two weeks after the ongoing Puja vacation.
The bench, also comprising justice Apurba Sinha Roy, took note of compliance submitted by the state government on having sent a report to the central government on the incident as is mandatory under the NIA Act since bombs were reported to have burst during the incident.
The bench noted that a report submitted by the state before it said that three out of five FIRs registered by the police in connection with the incident were under the Explosive Substances Act.
As per this, the state was asked by the court whether the provision of informing the central government under Section 6 of the NIA Act was complied with.
The state's counsel submitted that the officer-in-charge of the local police station sent a report to the West Bengal government which forwarded it to the Centre.
The state report said that 42 people were arrested and 15 live bombs and other weapons were seized in connection with the incident.
The court asked the state to ensure that harmony in the affected area is regenerated.
Directing the state government to initiate confidence-building measures for the inhabitants from all sections of the society in the affected area, the bench ordered that police pickets there be reinforced.
The court said that it is necessary that victims are given compensation for their losses and steps are taken by the state in this regard as per law.
The bench directed the state to take steps for repatriation to the locality of any inhabitant, if he or she has been displaced due to the incident.
The court had in the morning directed the West Bengal government to inform it by 2 pm of the day whether the mandatory provision of informing the Centre about crude bomb explosions during clashes between two groups at Ekbalpore area on Sunday was complied with by the state.
Two petitioners prayed for an NIA investigation into the incident since crude bombs were burst during the clashes and some houses in a slum there were allegedly set ablaze.
They also alleged police inaction in controlling the situation when the incident took place.
