Thaindian News

Kolkata, July 9 (IANS) The West Bengal government has decided to set up four inquiry commissions to probe an unnatural death and mass killing cases between 1971 and 2008, a minister said Saturday.

“We have decided to set up more judicial commissions to probe into the cases of mass killings and unnatural death of Block Development Officer Kallol Sur on 9 April 2008 at Daspur in West Midnapore district,” state Law Minister Maloy Ghatak told media persons.

A one-member judicial committee headed by former justice Gitesh Narayan Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court will be appointed to find out the real reason behind the death of the BDO, he said.

Another judicial committee led by former high court judge Nikhil Bhattacharya will be appointed to probe the killing of 23 tribal people while celebrating “Hool Mahautsav” at Chandrokona in West Midnapore district June 30, 1999.

Another former high court judge, Asit Kumar Bishi, will head another committee that will probe the mass killings in Cossipore in the city between Aug 12-14, 1971, Ghatak said.

There were no records of how many were killed during the Cossipore massacre as no bodies could be traced.

Former acting chief justice of Orissa High Court Sushanta Chattapadhyay will head a panel to probe the death of 13 Congress activists in police firing July 21, 1993, said Ghatak.

The Congress activists were participating in a march to Writers’ Buildings - the state secretariat.

“All total six judicial commissions would probe into different mass killing and unnatural death cases. Earlier, two judicial commissions were set up - one into the Sainbari killing case and unnatural death of Communist legislator Mustafa Bin Quasem,” Ghatak said.