The Calcutta High Court instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the Birbhum case on Friday in which eight people were burnt alive.

Denying a request from the Mamata Banerjee government to not give the case to the central agency, Calcutta High Court transferred the case today to CBI.

Eight people, all women and children, were beaten and burnt alive by a mob on Tuesday in West Bengal’s Birbhum.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is facing furious backlash from the opposition BJP over the incident. Speaking on the incident CM Banerjee had alleged that “something big” was behind the incident.

She has said that the suspects will be hunted down if they failed to surrender themselves.

Stating that she was aware of the opposition politicising the incident, CM Banerjee said that the BJP-led centre has been trying to criticize her government on many fronts and the latest incident may just open up another front.

Notably, six women and two children were locked up in their homes and set on fire by a mob on Tuesday at Bogtui village near Rampurhat town. Charred bodies were recovered a day later, most of who belonged to the same family.

The incident is believed to be in retaliation to a local Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh’s death, who was killed in a crude bomb attack.