SC refuses to hear plea for CBI probe in Dhulagarh riots case

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a petition seeking CBI probe into the alleged two-day communal riots in West Bengal's Dhulagarh last month.
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and P C Pant said the matter could be raised before the Calcutta High Court.
"Have you approached the High Court? Why don't you go there first for remedy," the bench told the petitioner.
The petitioner has claimed that the state police had failed to maintain law and order during the alleged riots on December 13 and 14 last year in Dhulagarh area where around 138 houses were set ablaze, women gangraped and molested and explosives and fire arms like AK-47 were used by the mob in committing the crime.

The petitioner NGO, Amtala Nagarik Adhikar Raksha Samity, has alleged that "no protection was given by the state to affected victims on those two consecutive days" and no action was taken by the police on the FIR lodged against 102 named accused persons.
"It is imperative that the investigation has to be done by CBI to find out trans-border links in perpetrating periodical communal riots as well as nexus of communal criminals of other states," the plea, filed through advocate Bijan Ghosh, said.

The petition also alleged that the West Bengal government was "biased" towards a particular community and a CBI probe was necessary in the interest of justice.

It claimed that a CBI probe was necessary for an impartial and unbiased investigation in the matter as the state government has "failed to discharge constitutional and legal obligations regarding maintaining law and order".
The plea also sought a direction to the state to render all assistance to the CBI in the investigation.