NIA Team Attacked by Mob in Bengal; Stones Pelted at Car, 2 Officers Injured

Kolkata: In yet another shocking attack on central agencies in Bengal, the National Investigation Agency came under heavy attack on Saturday as several locals pelted stones at the agency's car while they were in East Medinipur district to conduct a court-monitored probe in connection with the 2022 December blast at Bupatinagar. 

NIA Attacked Over Demand to Release Blast Accused

According to our sources, bricks were pelted at a NIA car, smashing the windscreens. 2 NIA officials have been sustained minor injuries, as per local reports. The team was probing two locals Balai Maity and Manabrata. When they didn't respond to the NIA's summon, the anti-terror agency took them into custody and started questioning them in the car when the locals attacked them. They demanded Maity and Manabrata to be released immediately. The NIA team has filed a complaint at a local police station.

"Locals gheraoed the vehicle and pelted stones at it. The NIA has said one of its officers was also injured," a senior police official told news agency PTI. A huge contingent of central police force has reached Bhupatinagar, where the NIA team is present along with the two arrested persons, police further told PTI. Three persons were killed when an explosion ripped apart a kutcha house in Bhupatinagar on December 3, 2022. The investigation was later handed over to the NIA.

Terror Raj…Bengal Continues to Remain Lawless: BJP Slams TMC

“Back to back attacks on central agencies in Bengal prove that there is no law and order left in the state...if something like this happens to NIA and ED, what will happen to the people? They are afraid under Mamata's terror raj,” BJP leader Rahul Sinha said. 

Taking to X, Amit Malviya wrote, “West Bengal continues to remain lawless, as ever, under Mamata Banerjee’s misrule. After attack on ED officials, now another central agency has come under attack. A team of NIA officers, which went to Bhupatinagar in East Medinipur District of West Bengal, to arrest two TMC leaders, were targeted. 100/150 villagers, not only stopped the NIA team from arresting the accused, but also hurled stones at their vehicles. This wouldn’t have been possible without local police’s involvement. All criminals in Bengal, from Shahjahan Sheikh to Anubroto Mondal, enjoy TMC’s protection.”

This is the third such incident in a year when central agencies came under attack in Bengal. In January, the ED team was attacked by a mob of nearly 1,000 TMC workers when they were conducting raids at Sheikh Shahjahan's property in Sandeshkhali in connection with the PDS scam. On the same day, the ED team was attacked again when they went to arrest Shankar Addya, another accused in the same case.

(With further inputs from agencies)