While the Opposition in West Bengal is directly blaming Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for blocking a probe by National Investigation Agency (NIA) into last Thursday’s Burdwan blast, a senior official of the Union Home Ministry said that the Government was “yet to decide” on NIA probe.
Another senior official attached to the NIA in Delhi also told The Hindu that the Home Ministry had “not approached” them to probe the blast in which two persons were killed. However, in a statement, BJP secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said Ms Banerjee was “resisting NIA enquiry.” The fact, however, is that till Tuesday evening the Union Home Ministry has not decided on NIA probe.
The NIA Act of 2008 says that if the Central Government is of the “opinion” that an offence is required “to be investigated under NIA Act, it may suo motu direct the Agency to investigate.” “So, we do not need a go-ahead from any State Government to investigate the Burdwan blast under the Act,” said the Home Ministry official.
“But usually the probe is handed over (to NIA) in consultation with the State Government. But in this particular case, no formal decision has been taken on NIA probe,” the official said. However, he refused to comment on whether the Home Ministry would hand over the investigation to NIA in near future. When asked whether the Home Ministry has approached the Chief Minister the official said, “the truth is somewhere in between” and avoided any direct answer.
Another official of the NIA said: “We would not know about the talks between the Centre and the State, we would only be told to probe…which we have not been told.”
