Kolkata, June 9 -- The Calcutta High Court on Monday sharply criticised the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for its "casual approach" in failing to submit a report on the 2018 Daribhit High School case in North Dinajpur.
The division bench, comprising Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, directed the NIA to file the report by July 9, 2025, expressing apparent frustration over the agency's non-compliance with prior court orders.
The case stems from an alleged shooting and bombing incident during a protest at Daribhit High School in September 2018, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals.
Following inaction by the state police, the victims' families approached the court, leading a single bench to order an NIA probe. The West Bengal government had appealed against this probe, but the matter remained unresolved.
During Monday's hearing, the NIA counsel informed the court that the informal report was unsigned and would require three more
weeks to submit.
This prompted a strong rebuke from the bench, with Justice Chakraborty stating: "I will give appropriate remarks against your officer. They are thinking what will the high court do..."
The court highlighted that the NIA was instructed to submit a report in 2024, yet, as of June 2025, no progress had been made. When questioned about the timeline for filing a charge sheet, the NIA counsel admitted the probe was ongoing and blamed the state authorities for a "faulty" investigation, citing uncollected evidence, including bullets from the scene. The agency is now examining witnesses to reconstruct the case.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.