The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has moved to the Calcutta High Court seeking the dismissal of an FIR lodged against its officials by the West Bengal Police. The case is scheduled to be heard by a bench of Justice Jay Sengupta later today.
This development occurs amid heightened tensions between the NIA and the Bengal Police regarding the investigation into the 2022 Bhupatinagar blast. Over the weekend, an NIA team faced an alleged mob attack while attempting to arrest two suspects, Manobrata Jana and Bailicharan Maity, linked to the blast. During the incident, an NIA officer sustained injuries, and a vehicle was damaged.
Following the incident, Moni Jana, the wife of Manobrata Jana, lodged a complaint at the Bhupatinagar police station, alleging molestation and vandalism of their residence by NIA officials during the raid.
In response, the Bengal Police registered an FIR under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to assault on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty.
The NIA has vehemently denied these allegations, describing the entire episode as "unfortunate" and asserting that their actions were legitimate and carried out per the law as part of the blast investigation. The agency has also lodged a counter-complaint at the Bhupatinagar police station regarding the attack on their team.
The purported attack on the NIA team has sparked a political dispute between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has accused the TMC of orchestrating assaults on central investigative agencies in the state to shield its corrupt leaders. In response, the TMC has alleged that central agencies are being misused to target the party's leaders, with Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee alleging collusion between the NIA and the BJP and criticizing the Election Commission for its silence on the matter.
