Confusion over two inquiries into Dinhata incident

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 11: As the state government decided to order a judicial inquiry into the police firing in which five Forward Bloc supporters were killed, the fate of the proposed administrative inquiry into the incident became uncertain. Senior officials are now in confusion whether both the probes will continue in parallel. Due to the judicial inquiry the administrative inquiry may be shunned, believe a section of officials.   

 

Earlier, after visiting Dinhata on Saturday, the divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri division Mr Biharilal Meena had said that a magisterial inquiry into the Dinhata violence would commence soon and the government will decide who will be entrusted to do the job. The district magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha too had said that a senior magistrate might conduct the inquiry.

 

Today, when contacted over phone, Mr Meena said he is yet to receive any government communiqué about the inquiry. He learnt of the proposed judicial inquiry from the media. It is upto the government to decide who will conduct the probe and from when, he said.

 

Soon after airing of the decision of a judicial inquiry into the Dinhata incident a confusion being growing up among administrative officials.

 

As the government declared a judicial inquiry there is no necessity to conduct a probe with a magistrate into the same incident, a senior and well-placed administrative official of IAS cadre opined.

 

On the otherhand, another official of IAS cadre said that as per government norms a magisterial inquiry is a must after any incident of police firing. It can run independently and it has no connection with any other inquiry like a judicial one. There is no legal or technical problem in conducting both the probes concurrently, he said.

 

Meanwhile, referring his visit to Dinhata on Saturday Mr Meena said he went there not to conduct any probe. He went only to learn what actually happened there on 5 February, he said.

 

When asked about the arrest of the 57 persons named in the FIR lodged by the SDO of Dinhata, Mr Meena said, "Those who are guilty they should be brought to the book". The actual happenings of the day and who were the guilty may come out during inquiry, he opined.

 

Mr Meena however denied making any specific comment about the possibility of arrest of the seven FB leaders including the party's district secretary Mr Udayan Guha. It may be recalled here that forty persons in the fifty-seven FIR named were already arrested and sent to judicial custody.

 

Mentionworthy, the divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri division, Mr Meena visited Dinhata on Saturday. He visited the premises of the court where five Forward Bloc activists were killed in police firing on 5 February during a law-violation programme.

 

During his visit Mr Meena had a meeting with the district magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr Sinha and the SDO of Dinhata Mr D Chakraborty. He inquired about the firing incident that occurred on that day. He also saw the damages done to the government offices at the vicinity on 5 February. Talking with the reporters at Dinhata Mr Meena said on Saturday that in 25 rounds that were fired on that day to control the mob 3 (three) were blank shots. []