The Calcutta High Court on Thursday permitted the filing of a petition seeking a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the recent assault on BJP MP Khagen Murmu at Nagrakata in north Bengal. The attack took place earlier this week during his visit to flood and landslide-affected areas in Jalpaiguri district.
The matter came up before the single-judge bench of Justice Kausik Chanda, who granted permission to move the petition for an NIA investigation. According to petitioner’s lawyer Anindya Sundar Das, the case is likely to be taken up for hearing on October 14.
The petition also seeks directions to initiate proceedings under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as Murmu belongs to the Scheduled Tribe community. Advocate Sayan Chattopadhyay, appearing for the petitioner, made the submission before the court.
Murmu, the BJP MP from Malda Uttar, and party MLA Sankar Ghosh sustained injuries when a mob allegedly attacked their convoy during their visit to Nagrakata, one of the worst-affected areas after torrential rains battered north Bengal over the weekend. Heavy rainfall had triggered floods and landslides across several districts, including Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, leaving a trail of destruction.
The petition seeks to bring the investigation under the ambit of the NIA, citing the seriousness of the incident and the involvement of an elected Member of Parliament.
