In a significant ruling, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday mandated the transfer of the investigation into the unnatural death of a man in Nadia district to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The decision stems from an incident in 2023 where police personnel allegedly abducted the man from his residence.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh underscored the necessity of transferring the case to ensure an impartial and thorough investigation. The court’s intervention followed a plea from Manjura Bibi, the widow of the deceased, Saukat Mondal. She sought the probe’s transfer from the state police, accusing them of complicity in her husband’s death.
The backdrop involves a contentious police raid on August 26, 2023, at the couple’s home, purportedly targeting Mohan Mondal, Saukat’s brother-in-law. Upon failing to find Mohan, police allegedly took Saukat into custody. His body was later discovered roughly 500 meters from their home, in a garden, leading to allegations of murder by Manjura Bibi.
Further complicating the case is a murder charge against Saukat’s brother, initially investigated by local police and subsequently transferred to the CBI in December 2023 by the same court. This earlier decision was upheld by the Supreme Court despite challenges from the West Bengal government.
During the hearing, the state’s representation argued that Saukat Mondal died of a cardiac arrest and highlighted his history with two pending cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act from 2017. However, the court ruled in favor of consolidating the investigations under the CBI, with the same officer handling both related cases, to maintain the integrity of the probe.
