NIA Secures Case Diary, 7-Day Custody in West Bengal’s Beldanga Violence Probe

Overview

• West Bengal Police informed a Kolkata trial court that they would transfer the Beldanga case diary to the National Investigation Agency.
• Seven arrested persons were remanded to seven days of NIA custody, while 24 others remain in judicial custody.
• NIA declined an in-court handover of the diary and requested a formal transfer at its Kolkata office, which the state police agreed to follow.
• The Calcutta High Court earlier refused to stay the NIA takeover and asked the agency to file a report on whether UAPA applies, noting it requires the diary to do so.
• The probe stems from January unrest in Beldanga after reports about a migrant worker’s death, with the Centre assigning the case to NIA on January 28 and the state contesting the basis given no UAPA sections in the FIR.