The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially registered an FIR against Sheikh Shahjahan in the 2019 Sandeshkhali violence case. This case is related to the killing of three BJP workers — Pradeep Mandal, Devdas Mandal, and Sukanta Mandal — during the violence that broke out after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.
🕵️♂️ Initial Investigation Was Done by State Police
Earlier, the Kolkata Police had done the initial investigation into this case. However, the families of the victims went to court, asking for a CBI investigation to ensure justice. Following court orders, the CBI took over the case and has now formally registered the FIR. Sheikh Shahjahan, who is already in judicial custody for other Sandeshkhali-related cases, has been made the main accused in this case.
⚖️ Why Did the Court Hand Over the Case to CBI?
The Kolkata High Court found that the earlier police investigation was careless and incomplete. The court noted that the main accused was wrongly left out of the chargesheet, which was a major flaw in the investigation.
The court said that to keep the trust of the victim’s families and the public, the case should now be handled by an independent agency like the CBI.
🔍 CBI Will Continue the Investigation
The court also said that since some evidence has already been collected by the state police, a fresh investigation could affect the reliability of that evidence. So, the CBI will not restart the entire case from the beginning. Instead, it will do further investigation, making sure that the process is fair and transparent.