Bogtui carnage: CBI plans DNA match to fix identities of dead

 Key witness Mihilal Sheikh, who lost his mother, wife and daughter in the massacre, and his relatives said they were sure all the bodies were of their family members

The CBI camp office in Rampurhat.: File photo

Snehamoy Chakraborty   |   TT  |  Rampurhat   |   02.04.22 :  CBI officials are planning to match the DNA samples of the seven charred bodies from the Bogtui carnage with their family members in a bid to confirm the identities of the deceased.

“We plan to match the DNA as family members have pointed to several flaws in identification of the bodies buried in their absence. The DNA samples of the charred bodies were collected during post-mortem and now we have to collect those of the family members,” said a CBI source.

Key witness Mihilal Sheikh, who lost his mother, wife and daughter in the massacre, and his relatives said they were sure all the bodies were of their family members as they had taken shelter in the house of Sona Sheikh, but they wanted the matter to be confirmed.

Nine persons werekilled in Bogtui following the murder of Trinamul leader and deputy chief of the Barshal panchayat, Bhadu Sheikh, on March 21. When the carnage came to light on March 22, seven charred bodies were recovered from the burnt house of Sona Sheikh.

“It is really good news for us if the CBI goes for a DNA test as we also wanted to have proof that they were our family members,” said Banirul Sheikh, one of Mihilal’s brothers, on Friday.

Identification of the bodies became difficult for the local police and administration as they were charred beyond recognition. On March 22, police announced seven names with the help of villager Alauddin Sheikh, who claimed to know the kin of those killed.

Following the carnage, police had arrested 20 persons who were named in the FIR. Ten of these arrested persons had been sent to police custody, while the rest were remanded in judicial custody by a Rampurhat court.

On Friday, the CBI appealed before the court of additional chief judicial magistrate of Rampurhat, Souvik Dey, seeking to take into custody the 10 persons remanded in jail custody for five days of interrogation. A CBI advocate told the court that the CBI wanted to interrogate the 10 arrested together with Anarul and others. The court granted the CBI the custody of nine persons for five days.

Rampurhat correctional home authorities said one among the 10 seemed to be a minor. The judge asked the CBI to verify this within four days and inform the court.

The CBI summoned the officer-in-charge of the fire brigade in Rampurhat, Partha Sarathi Ghosh, and two police officers, including the complainant in a suo motu case, Dhrubajyoti Dutta. The CBI seeks to tally the timeline of the incidents and activities at Bogtui following the carnage by interrogating fire and police officials.

“We are trying to get the actual record and timeline of the arson and activities of all those agencies responsible to control the situation,” said a CBI source.

CBI officials on Friday evening summoned for interrogation the acting inspector-in-charge of Rampurhat police station Swargajit Bose. He became the first investigating officer to be interrogated after the CBI took over the case.