E-Paper
23 people held in Birbhum violence case that left nine dead
Police lodged two separate cases for the deaths, while the state government formed a special investigation team to probe the matter
KOLKATA: At least 23 persons have been held in connection with the violence in West Bengal’s Birbhum district since Monday night that left nine people dead, including a panchayat leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
While one was held in connection with the bomb attack that killed Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the Barshal gram panchayat, at least 22 persons were nabbed in connection with the death of eight persons in the same village after their houses were set on fire following Sheikh’s murder.
Police lodged two separate cases for the deaths, while the state government formed a special investigation team (SIT) and removed two local police officers from duty on Tuesday.
“It was personal enmity between two groups that might have led to the murder of Bhadu Sheikh. No political rivalry was involved in this,” Director General of West Bengal police Manoj Malviya said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a team of Bharatiya Janata Party legislators left for Birbhum from Kolkata on Wednesday morning, and the CPI(M) too is sending a team to Bogtui village in Birbhum’s Rampurhat area where the killings took place. A team of three TMC MLAs, headed by state minister Firhad Hakim, reached the village on Tuesday to assess the situation.
Another team set up by BJP president JP Nadda comprising five-members, including four MPs, is expected to reach West Bengal today.
On Tuesday, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar released a video saying he was “pained and disturbed” to see “human rights in decimation and law and order (has) capsized” in the state.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee shot off a letter to him saying such remarks can influence the SIT’s investigation and alleged that his remarks were politically motivated.
