A post-mortem conducted after charred bodies of at least eight people were recovered from Rampurhat in West Bengal's Birbhum district has shown that they were badly beaten up before being burnt alive, news agency PTI reported.
The houses had been burnt on the night of Monday, 21 March, amid protests over the alleged murder of a leader from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) named Bhadu Sheikh. Nearly 10-12 houses were set ablaze and the bodies were recovered on Tuesday.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the matter and 20 people have been arrested in the case so far. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had also sought a report from the state administration over the incident of violence.
CM Mamata Banerjee is visiting the village on Thursday and CCTV cameras have been set up around the helipad where her helicopter will land, a senior police officer told PTI.
Two FIRs Filed
Police have said two First Information Reports (FIRs) had been filed – one over the deputy pradhan's killing and the other over the attack on the houses.
Sources said that Sections 302 and 120B (murder and criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), among others, were slapped on the arrested persons. In the case related to the recovery of the eight charred bodies, sections related to murder and arson were filed.
The case has also been filed under Sections 325 and 326 (voluntary causing grievous hurt with weapons), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), 302 (murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), and 149 (unlawful assembly).
(With inputs from PTI.)
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