A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was attacked in Bengal's East Medinipur district on Saturday during a raid in connection with a 2022 bomb blast case. An officer of the anti-terror agency has been injured in the attack that happened in the Bhupitaninagar area.
During the raid, a mob suddenly attacked the team and vandalised the agency's car, resulting in the vehicle's windscreen being broken.
A video showed several men and women blocking a police vehicle and shouting at the police, asking them to go back. The women were seen sitting on the street in front of security personnel with bamboo sticks in their hands.
A team of NIA officials this morning arrested two people pertaining to the bomb blast case, including main accused Monobroto Jana. The agency team was attacked when they were on their way back to Kolkata.
An FIR has been registered with the local police regarding the incident under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 332 (voluntary hurt to deter public servant of duty), 352 (assault or criminal force without any grave provocation), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees or upwards), and 34 (criminal action committed by several persons with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act. The case has been lodged against Monobroto Jana, his family members and other unidentified persons.
An NIA source told India Today that the local police station was informed beforehand about the raid, and yet proper security arrangements were not put in place.
According to police sources, however, the NIA team went to Bhupitaninagar at 5.30 am - much earlier than they were supposed to - and then called for reinforcements.
The situation is under control now and the police have launched an investigation into the attack.
The Bhupatinagar blast took place in December 2022 at a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader's home in the Naryabila village under Bhupatinagar Police Station, killing three people. The NIA began probing the matter in June 2023.
The attack on the NIA team came just two months after an attack on a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Bengal's Sandeshkhali on January 5. Expelled TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested pertaining to the attack nearly two months after he was on the run. Some of his associates, including his security guard as well as his brother have also been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the January 5 attack on the ED team.
