West Bengal: NIA Files Charge Sheet Against 15th Accused In Ekbalpore Violence Case

The case involves a clash between two communities that occurred on October 9 last year. The NIA named Md Zeeshan Akbar, a resident of Kolkata's Kidderpore, in the new charge sheet.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary charge sheet against the 15th accused in the Ekbalpore Communal violence case in West Bengal. The case involves a clash between two communities that occurred on October 9 last year. The NIA named Md Zeeshan Akbar, a resident of Kolkata's Kidderpore, in the new charge sheet filed before a special NIA court in Kolkata on Tuesday, reported news agency ANI.

The NIA in January had filed a charge sheet against 14 accused persons in the same case. The investigation found that Akbar, along with other co-accused, had planned a criminal conspiracy to mobilize an 'unlawful assembly' with the intention of attacking the houses and shops of the Hindu community at Gali No. 8, Bhukailash Road, Mominpore, Kolkata. They used crude bombs, petrol bombs, wooden sticks, brickbats, and stones to carry out the attack. The mob disrupted the electricity supply in the area and prevented the police personnel from entering the area to control the riots. They also assaulted the police personnel, causing injuries to one of them.

Furthermore, the two communities deterred the police personnel from discharging their official duties by physically assaulting them, damaging vehicles parked nearby, and attacking police personnel in the jurisdiction of Ekbalpore Police Station, Kolkata. The case was initially registered on October 10 last year at Ekbalpore Police Station in Kolkata, West Bengal and re-registered by the NIA on October 18 last year.

The case was initially registered on October 10 last year at Ekbalpore Police Station in Kolkata, West Bengal, and re-registered by the NIA on October 18 last year. The ANI report stated that the latest charge sheet named Md Fakruddin Siddique, Md Salauddin Siddique, Md Sahabuddin Siddique, Md Idul Siddique, Md Ziauddin, Badrul Hossain, Ohab Hossain, Mustafa Hussain, Zakir Hossain, Gholam Md Izhar, Md Faiyaz, Sunny, Raju, and Imamul Haque.

All the 15 accused persons have been chargesheeted under sections 120B, 147, 149, 152, 332, 353, and 436 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

The NIA's first charge sheet was filed three days after it conducted searches at 17 locations in Kolkata in connection with the case and seized Rs 33.87 lakh in cash from the residence of three absconding accused. The NIA sleuths conducted searches at these locations in Bhukailash Road in the Mominpore area of Kolkata. During the searches, the NIA had claimed to seize a total amount of Rs 33,87,300 (Rs. 30,55,000 from the house of Md Salauddin Siddique, Rs 1,59,300 from the house of Zakir Hossain and Rs 1,73,000 from the house of Tipu; all three evading arrest), sharp-edged weapons, and other incriminating items.

The NIA took over the case after the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed it to register an FIR and start a thorough probe, considering the gravity of the case. The MHA's order followed the direction of the Calcutta High Court in October while hearing a writ petition relating to the Ekbalpore-Mominpore communal violence.