KOLKATA : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially taken over the probe into the 2019 killings of three BJP workers, Pradeep Mondal, Devdas Mondal, and Sukanta Mondal during post-poll violence in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. The agency has filed a First Information Report (FIR) naming former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh as the prime accused.

The move follows a directive issued by the Calcutta High Court on June 30. Justice Joy Sengupta ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) within the CBI to handle the case with the “utmost seriousness.”

The court also instructed that the investigation be supervised by a CBI joint director.

The three BJP workers were found dead after an alleged mob attack on their village in Sandeshkhali, reportedly led by Sheikh. The case was initially investigated by the West Bengal Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), but the families of the victims later moved the Calcutta High Court, expressing dissatisfaction with the state probe and requesting a CBI investigation.

In his ruling, Justice Sengupta slammed the state police, saying they had repeatedly failed to act against Sheikh, both in this case and in previous incidents.

“The police failed to take action against the prime accused at different stages, leading to gross miscarriage of justice,” the court noted. The judge further stated that the issue extended beyond local police to the CID, observing a pattern of inaction whenever allegations were made against Sheikh.

Shahjahan Sheikh, a controversial figure in West Bengal politics, is already in judicial custody following his arrest on January 5, 2024. He was apprehended in connection with an alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during a raid at his residence linked to a multi-crore ration distribution scam. During the raid, ED personnel were reportedly assaulted and their vehicles vandalised.

In addition to the murder case and the ED attack, Sheikh faces multiple allegations from women in Sandeshkhali, who have accused him and his associates of land grabbing and sexual exploitation. The CBI is already investigating three other cases related to the assault on the ED officials.