New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI)

 

The CBI has taken over the probe into the killing of a 22-year-old man during communal violence in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara district last year and registered an FIR against 12 people, officials said on Saturday.

Bhuneshwar Sahu was killed in the violence that erupted in Biranpur village on April 8, 2023, after an altercation between schoolchildren from two communities. On April 11, Biranpur residents Rahim Mohammad (55) and his son Idul Mohammad (35) were found dead a few kilometers away from the village and there were multiple injuries on their bodies.

 

According to procedure, the CBI re-registered the state police FIR that named 12 people as accused in the case, the officials said

 

In a statement, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said, "It was alleged that children studying in class 7-8 of a village were returning from school, when boys of a community working at a junk shop beat them up, on which a meeting was held."

"It was also alleged that when the victim along with his friends went to the locality of the said community in the afternoon, the members of the community started pelting stones from the roof. The victim fell down and as a result sustained head injuries," it said.

 

The accused and others allegedly killed the victim using a knife and other weapons, the statement said.

During investigation, the local police found criminal evidence against the 12 people named in the FIR and arrested them, it said. Police had filed a charge-sheet against all the accused but the probe was kept open.

 

The CBI has taken over the state police FIR against Nawab Khan, Jalil Khan, Basir Khan, Mukhtar Mohd, Safiq Mohd, Abdul Khan, Akbar Khan, Mohd Janab, Ayub Khan, Nizamuddin, Rashid Khan and Kallu Khan.

They face charges of criminal conspiracy and murder.

Bhuneshwar Sahu's killing had become a major political issue ahead of the assembly elections in the state in which the BJP wrested power from the Congress.

 

The BJP had fielded Bhuneshwar Sahu's father Ishwar Sahu from the Saja constituency and rallied around him to ensure his victory.

 

He defeated influential Congress leader and minister Ravindra Choubey in the elections held in November last year.

In February during an assembly Session, Ishwar Sahu raised the incident in the House through a calling attention motion questioning the government about a CBI probe in his son's killing.

 

He had said his son was killed on April 8 last year and only 12 people were arrested in the case even though the names of 36 individuals accused in the incident were then submitted to authorities.

The BJP government, which had assured Ishwar Sahu of a CBI probe, sent the recommendation for it on April 25, and it was received by the agency thenext day.