Kolkata: Bengal govt has ordered a CID investigation into the death of Birju Keot, 10 days after the death of the Halisahar Trinamool worker in police custody. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier acknowledged police negligence in the incident. He had met the family and had ordered a magisterial inquiry.The 48-year-old Keot, a resident of Halisahar’s Pramodnagar and husband of former councillor Jenny Sharma Keot, was arrested on Aug 6 on multiple charges, including extortion and assault. He was produced before a Barrackpore court on Aug 7 and remanded in police custody for five days. However, he was found unconscious inside the police lockup on Aug 8 and declared dead when taken to hospital.Bijpur MLA Sudipta Das said the decision demonstrated that govt wanted the truth to come out and that those responsible would face legal action. “This proves that this govt does not want to hide anything, unlike the previous regime. Those found guilty will be dealt with according to law,” Das said. He also pointed out that govt had stood by the family despite its association with an opposition political party.Welcoming the move for a CID probe, Keot’s wife Jenny said, “I want those actually responsible for my husband’s death to be punished at the earliest. I have complete faith in the state govt. My only wish is that the CID investigation brings out the truth and ensures justice.”Following Keot’s death, investigating officer Firoz Mallick was suspended, while OC Tamal Dutta was ‘closed to police lines’. Adhikari had promised financial assistance and a govt job for the family.
