CBI sees bigger conspiracy in Lalan Sheikh death

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now claiming that a bigger controversy is at play behind the mysterious death of Lalan Sheikh, the principal accused behind the Bogtui carnage, in its custody on Monday evening.

Lalan Sheikh was found dead on Monday in the washroom of the CBI office set up in a guest house, with CBI officials claiming that he died by suicide.

Sheikh's wife Reshma Bibi on Tuesday filed a complaint at Rampurhat Police Station alleging that CBI officials had threatened to kill her husband during their visit to Bogtui village as part of the investigation process. The agency has however said that this claim is baseless.

The reason behind the central agency's renewed suspicion is that the state police has started its own investigation in the matter by registering a case where they have tagged Sushanta Bhattacharya, the Investigating Officer (IO) of the cattle smuggling case in West Bengal.

CBI sources said that the said officer had been involved with the cattle-smuggling case and never had any connection with the separate investigating team of CBI that was conducting parallel probe in the both Bogtui carnage and the murder of Trinamool Congress leader Vadu Sheikh as per the order of the Calcutta High Court, since both the matters were related.

A case in the matter was registered by Birbhum district police and already the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken over the investigation in the matter. Even Lalan Sheikh's wife, who filed an FIR at the local Rampurhat Police Station, demanded a CID probe in the matter.

CBI's top officers are currently consulting their own legal brains to evaluate the avenues on this matter challenged in the court.

(With agency inputs)