NIA officials charged for molestation in Bengal's East Medinipur after assault; verbal clash erupts between BJP and TMC

Following the attack on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team investigating a 2022 blast case in Bhupatinagar, West Bengal, the district police filed an FIR against the NIA team, accusing them of molestation, as reported by news agency ANI.

According to the report, the East Midnapore Police registered an FIR against the NIA team and CRPF officials based on a complaint from a woman. She alleged that she and her husband were assaulted by the officers and that her modesty was outraged. The case was registered at Bhupatinagar Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 325, 34, 354, 354(b), 427, 448, and 509.

The East Midnapore police received a complaint alleging that NIA officials molested women by forcefully entering their homes late at night. In response, the NIA filed a written complaint about the attack at the Bhupatinagar police station on Saturday. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the case.

The NIA was attacked on Saturday while carrying out an investigation related to the blast on December 3, 2022, which resulted in three fatalities. The incident occurred after the agency detained two TMC workers for questioning. One NIA team member sustained minor injuries, and their official vehicle was damaged when some individuals in the crowd assaulted them.

A verbal clash has ensued between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the Bhupatinagar incident. Opposition leaders have drawn comparisons with the Sandeshkhali incident on January 5, where Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials were assaulted by supporters of TMC leader Shahzahan Sheikh, who is now under arrest.

The saffron party has labeled the attack on NIA officials in West Bengal as a "state-sponsored attack." They accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of instigating violence to obstruct the 2022 blast case probe and shield those implicated in the incident.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "The attack on the NIA officials is Sandeshkhalli 2.0 orchestrated by the state to put hurdles to the investigation into the bomb blast case".

"It was not just a coincidence but a well thought out experiment. It was a state-sponsored attack on the NIA officials. The attack was organised by the ruling TMC," he said.

“Attacking a Central agency means attacking the Indian Constitution. Booking NIA officials under molestation charges for performing their duties is an indication of the collapse of all constitutional bodies. They have launched a war against the Indian Constitution,” said BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya.

“The State government is provoking. The NIA attacked, but the police didn’t arrest anyone involved in that incident. Rather they have booked NIA officials. It is so unfortunate. What do you expect when the CM herself is sending a message that the central agency cannot act against them?” asked CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty.