The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken into custody 11 additional individuals connected to the conspiracy behind the communal violence that erupted during the Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal in March 2023. These arrests were made less than a month after the NIA had detained 16 individuals in six related cases. The case was officially transferred to the NIA on April 27, 2023.
These 11 suspects were part of a scheme to attack members of a specific community during a procession marking Ram Navami on March 30, 2023, in Shibpur under the Howrah Police Commissionerate. The NIA identified the suspects through video footage seized from various locations amidst the investigation.
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As the investigation unfolded, the NIA uncovered other significant insights, leading to these arrests. Additionally, on February 26, 2024, 16 people were apprehended. The 11 arrested include Shamim Ahmed alias Nange, Balwant Singh, Mahmood Alam, Mahfooz Alam alias Sonu, Shamshad Alam alias Danish, Mohammed Ali alias Suraj, Saleem Javed alias Jawad, Sarfaraz Alam alias Lalan, Firoz Khan, and Mohammed Sameer.
Ansari alias Raj and Shamshad Hussain alias Shamshad Ali alias Raja were among those identified. All detainees hail from Shibpur in Howrah. In response to the communal tensions that escalated following the attack at 4 Bye Lane, PM Basti, Shibpur, Howrah, state police initially filed cases against 36 individuals. The Calcutta High Court, on April 27, 2023, ordered the transfer of all cases related to the Ram Navami celebration violence to the NIA, which continues to investigate the matter diligently.
