Kolkata:

The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Saturday took over the investigation into the Nandigram incident in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was injured during her election campaign, a senior officer of the agency said.

A team of CID officers will soon be visiting the spot in the Purba Medinipur district and record statements of the witnesses, he said.

A case has already been lodged at the Nandigram police station on the basis of a complaint filed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shiekh Sufiyan over the incident, which happened on March 10, the officer said.

The case has been filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for “punishment for wrongful restraint” and “punishment for voluntarily causing hurt” against unknown persons, he said.

Mamata Banerjee alleged that she was attacked in Nandigram’s Birulia Bazar, in which she was injured in her left leg, hips, arm, chest, neck and shoulder as she fell down.

Following the incident, the Election Commission suspended the chief minister’s Director of Security Vivek Sahay and Purba Medinipur’s Superintendent of Police Pravin Prakash.

The poll body also transferred district magistrate Vibhu Goel to a non-election post, pointing to lapses in Ms Banerjee’s security.

The incident became a boiling issue ahead of the elections with Mamata Banerjee campaigning on a wheelchair, drawing sharp attacks from the opposition parties, including the BJP that termed it a ploy for “sympathy votes”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)