Kolkata, Feb 26 (NationPress) Following three unsuccessful attempts, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to make another effort to present the seven individuals detained in the Beldanga unrest case before a city court on Thursday.

This marks the fourth attempt to bring the accused to court, as the state police had failed to provide the requisite escort to transport them from Murshidabad district to Kolkata on prior occasions.

According to the NIA, which has been investigating the unrest in Beldanga under the directive of the Calcutta High Court, if the state government does not facilitate the escort, it will take measures to ensure the accused are brought to court. However, it remains to be seen if the state police will cooperate this time.

Sources indicate that the NIA plans to request custody of the seven individuals to further investigate the unrest. Whether the accused will appear in the city sessions court on Thursday and if the NIA will gain custody remains uncertain.

It is important to note that the NIA approached the Calcutta High Court last Friday, seeking intervention to compel the West Bengal Police to provide the case diary from the previous month's violence to their officials investigating the case.

In its motion, the NIA's legal representative contended that the state police have been reluctant to share the case diary, despite a refusal from the Supreme Court’s Division Bench, which dismissed the state government’s opposition to the NIA investigation last month.

Remarkably, the court instructed the state to submit the case diary by today, February 26. It remains to be seen if they comply.

Last month, Beldanga in Murshidabad became a hotspot for unrest following reports of the death of Alauddin Sheikh, a migrant worker from the district, in Jharkhand.

When Alauddin's remains returned on January 16, local residents took to the streets. Protesters blocked the national highway, set tires ablaze, and hurled stones. Train services on the Sealdah-Lalgola route were also disrupted due to the violent demonstrations. A female journalist faced an attack in Beldanga that day. Although police managed to quell the protests initially, unrest resurged on January 17.

A total of 36 individuals, including a leader from the AIMIM, have been arrested in relation to the unrest.

The Calcutta High Court has stated that if the Central government desires, it can authorize the NIA to investigate the Beldanga incident. Subsequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs assigned the investigation to this federal agency.

The Supreme Court did not grant a stay on the NIA investigation as per the state's appeal during the hearing. However, the court mandated that the NIA prepare a report for the Calcutta High Court’s division bench in a sealed envelope detailing whether there is a prima facie basis for the application of the UAPA in this investigation.