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‘End political Holi with human blood’: Bengal governor issues 48-hour deadline
West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose said he will wait for 48 hours to see what action the authorities are taking before finalising his report
KOLKATA: As two more political workers died in separate incidents of violence in the run-up to the July 8 panchayat elections in West Bengal, governor CV Ananda Bose on Monday called for a complete end to the violence within 48 hours, saying the “political Holi with human blood has to end”.
“My visit to the field has convinced me that there is violence in certain pockets. I saw murder, intimidation and heinous crimes heaped upon innocent people,” Bose said after meeting the family of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker who died in Basanti area of South 24 Parganas.
Bose earlier visited Bhangore and Canning in South 24 Parganas and Dinhata in Cooch Behar.
Nearly 14 people have died in violence linked to the panchayat elections after the state election commission announced the elections.
The governor added: “I will wait for 48 hours to see what action the competent authorities are taking. Based on the quality of decision-making, I will give my report card to my masters, that is the people of Bengal.”
Bose who arrived in Kolkata from north Bengal on Monday morning, headed straight to Basanti where a TMC worker Jiarul Molla was shot dead late on Saturday night. His daughter, Manwara, the TMC candidate for the panchayat election, earlier alleged that her father was killed in a clash between two factions of the ruling TMC and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Bose, who have been visiting violence-hit areas and meeting members of victims’ families, said he had made an assessment of the situation and arrived at a conclusion about the gang leaders. “It is for the investigating agencies to establish their complicity and involvement. But as a senior citizen with 45 years of experience in public administration, I am convinced who are the gang leaders,” he said.
The sharp message from the governor comes against the backdrop of reports of two more deaths over the past 24 hours.
At Haroa in North 24 Parganas, a TMC worker identified by the police as Paritosh Mondol was killed on Sunday evening in an explosion when he was allegedly making crude bombs. His family, however, alleged that Mondol was murdered by his rivals, his hands chopped off and then bombs hurled. A second person who was injured in the blast has been taken to hospital in Kolkata.
In the second incident a BJP worker identified as Bankim Hansda was found dead in Manbazar area of Purulia. Police said he was out campaigning for the panchayat election and didn’t return on Sunday evening. His body was found near a bus on Monday morning.
The Calcutta high court has already ordered the deployment of central forces across the state in the run up to the panchayat polls. While 337 companies of central forces have arrived, the state election panel has requested the Union home ministry to sanction 485 more companies and opened a control room.
