KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the West Bengal government to investigate the death of a DYFI activist who had participated in a protest march by the organisation, to file a comprehensive report on the probe into it by March 12.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M), filed a PIL in the high court seeking an independent inquiry into the alleged incident.
The Left organization claimed before a division bench comprising Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee that the police used excess and unprovoked force on a peaceful demonstration organised by it on February 11 in violation of human rights.
It alleged that as a result of the police action, hundreds of protesters suffered serious injuries in vital parts of their body and one of them, DYFI member Maidul Islam Midya, died on February 15.
Representing the state, Advocate General Kishore Datta informed the court that the West Bengal government has already constituted an SIT headed by a very senior IPS officer, Damayanti Sen, and the team is probing the matter.
Datta also submitted that the victims family has lodged a criminal case, wherein they have sought to make certain named persons liable for the death of the victim.
Hearing both the parties, the division bench directed the SIT to file a comprehensive report on or before the next date of hearing, touching all aspects of the matter, including that of filing of a criminal case by the victim's family.
The bench directed that the matter would be taken up for hearing again on March 12.
The youth and students' wings of Left parties had on February 11 organised a march to Nabanna, the state secretariat, demanding jobs.
The agitators and the police clashed near Esplanade at the heart of the city after the barricades put up to prevent the protestors from moving ahead were allegedly broken.