Kolkata, Feb. 2 -- Two teams of the NIA on Monday visited Beldanga in Murshidabad to probe into the violence that rocked the place for over two consecutive days in January, a senior official said.
The Central agency's teams visited multiple locations, including the Berhampore Cyber Crime Police Station, Panchrasta Crossing, Beldanga Municipality and the local railway station, as part of their investigation.
"The teams have been formed to examine all aspects of the violence, including the sequence of events and possible coordination," the official reportedly said.
Violence had erupted in Beldanga on January 16 and 17, during which protests escalated into large-scale vandalism. On January 17, miscreants allegedly damaged a railway gate, triggering major disruption to rail and road traffic.
Tension flared up there on January 16 after news spread that a migrant worker from the area had died an unnatural death at his shelter in Jharkhand.
On Monday, NIA officials interacted with locals, the Beldanga rail station manager and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, the official reportedly said. "They spoke to witnesses and officials on the ground to understand how the situation escalated so rapidly," he said. Following the field visits, the NIA teams held a meeting at Beldanga police station to review findings. Another team met the family members of Alauddin, a migrant worker who died in Jharkhand, officials confirmed.
"The destruction of railway property is a serious concern and is being examined separately," he said.
An NIA team inspected the damaged railway gate on Monday. Investigators later visited the Beldanga Municipality and then proceeded to Beldanga Railway Station, where they held a closed-door meeting for nearly 20 minutes with the station manager and on-duty RPF personnel. Another NIA team went to the Berhampore Cyber Crime Police Station, where they remained for nearly an hour and a half to
examine digital evidence and possible online links related to the unrest, before heading back to Beldanga.
"We are looking into whether social media or other digital platforms were used to mobilise the crowd or spread misinformation," the official said. "This was not a spontaneous incident. We are examining who instigated it and whether there was any larger conspiracy," the official added.
The NIA formally took over the investigation on Saturday. Further investigation is underway.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.