First FIR in Sandeshkhali case filed by CBI

According to authorities on Thursday, the CBI opened its first investigation in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, over charges of land grab and sexual assault against five powerful individuals. According to them, the case is related to a property dispute in which the victim’s family’s ladies were reportedly subjected to sexual assault by powerful locals.

The victims’ and the five accused parties’ identities have not yet been made public by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In order to ensure justice and fair play, the Calcutta High Court on April 10 ordered a CBI probe under court supervision into claims of land grabbing and crimes against women in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. The court said that a “impartial inquiry” was necessary.

In such instances, the CBI distributed an email address to the public for the purpose of filing complaints, and a lot of them were received. In order to investigate claims and go on with the registration of cases in which allegations might be first confirmed, the agency sent a team to Sandeshkhali.

The CBI has filed the first formal complaint (FIR) in relation to the land grab and assault on women accusations that the Calcutta High Court has turned over to it, after preliminary verification during a field visit. The CBI was also ordered by the High Court to provide a detailed report on the purported unlawful conversion of agricultural land into water bodies for pisciculture after a careful examination of revenue records and a physical examination of the allegedly transformed area.

Investigating claims of land grabbing and crimes against women in Sandeshkhali is the responsibility of the central agency, which is expected to provide a thorough report to it on May 2, the day of the next hearing.