National Investigation Agency says aggressive crowd tried to stop their team, ECI seek report

Kolkata: National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday said that an aggressive crowd assaulted their team in which one of its members suffered injuries and that a vehicle belonging to the Central investigating agency was damaged at Bhupatinagar in the East Midnapore district.

“An aggressive crowd tried to stop the NIA team and its security component from moving towards Bhupatinagar Police Station. A complaint has also been lodged at the local police station,” the NIA said in a statement.

The NIA was returning after detaining two Trinamool Congress leaders Balai Charan Maity and Monobrata Jana accused of involvement in a blast at Bhupatinagar in December 2022 in which three persons were killed.

“The duo, Balai Charan Maity and Monobrata Jana, were arrested after extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where a crowd of local residents tried to block the NIA team,” NIA said.

NIA said that one member of the NIA team suffered a minor injury and the official vehicle of the agency was also damaged by the assaulting crowd.

The Central agency said that Maity and Jana have been found to have conspired to “manufacture” and “explode” crude bombs to spread “terror”.

“The two men had actively participated in the conspiracy to make crude bombs and had extended support for the same, NIA had found in its probe, which led to Saturday’s searches and arrests,” the NIA said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI), through the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal has sought a detailed report from the district magistrate of East Midnapore district about the attack.

The NIA team was attacked by a group of local people in Bhupatinagar in the East Midnapore district on Saturday who had gone to the district to investigate an explosion which took place in December 2022, killing three persons.

This is the second attack on the central investigating agency in less than three months in West Bengal. On January 5, ED and CAPF personnel were attacked by the locals in Sandeshkhali in which suspended Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested. (IANS)

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