Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has ordered for court-monitored CBI probe of alleged West Bengal’s post-poll violence. 

A five-member bench headed by acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal has reserved the verdict on the matter on August 3. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has said that it will challenge the interim order of the HC before the Supreme Court.

Citizen group moved the High Court, alleging widespread post-poll violence soon after Trinamool Congress’s landslide victory in West Bengal Assembly elections on May 2. The court has directed the police to assist the CBI by providing the required materials.

Following the directions of the High Court the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had formed a committee to probe the post-poll violence in West Bengal.

Victims had levelled serious allegations of murder, rape, and destruction of property against perpetrators of the alleged post-poll violence; they have submitted video footage to the committee regarding miscreants vandalizing the public properties in the state.

The committee constituted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has submitted its report to the High Court on July 15; the report running over 50-pages stated that the situation in the state a manifestation of the law of the ruler instead of the rule of law.

In the report, the panel has opinioned that, “This was retributive violence by supporters of the ruling party against supporters of the main opposition party.". 

Read: Calcutta HC directs CS to keep documents of post-poll violence

The committee has recommended handing over the investigation in grievous crimes like rape and murder to the Central Bureau of Investigation and requested that the case should be tried outside the state.

Senior counsel, Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal Police, had submitted that the NHRC’s report was “politically motivated" and that some members of the fact-finding committee had links to the BJP.

The allegations of post-poll violence had triggered a war of words between the ruling TMC and opposition BJP. While the BJP accused the TMC of targeting its workers, the TMC responded by claiming that BJP workers were targeting their own.