West Bengal: Birbhum violence toll rises to nine as woman dies of burn injuries

The woman, who sustained 65% burns, was put on ventilator support on Sunday after her condition deteriorated. She suffered a heart attack on Monday afternoon.

KOLKATA: The death toll in the March 21 massacre at Bogtui village in Bengal’s Birbhum district rose to nine on Monday afternoon when Najma Bidi, one of the women admitted with burn injuries at the government hospital in Rampurhat town, died at around 1.30 pm on Monday, officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the March 21 Birbhum massacre, which was allegedly carried out in retaliation by followers and relatives of Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the local Barshal panchayat, shortly after he was murdered in public by his rivals. (File/ANI)

Najma Bibi, who sustained 65% burns on the night of March 21 when around 10 houses were set on fire by a mob, was rescued by fire brigade personnel along with two other injured women and a minor. The four were rushed to the Rampurhat hospital, said a district health department official.

“Najma Bibi was put on ventilator support on Sunday after her condition deteriorated. She suffered a heart attack on Monday afternoon,” the official said.

The massacre was allegedly carried out in retaliation by followers and relatives of Bhadu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the local Barshal panchayat, shortly after he was murdered in public by his rivals.

Sheikh sustained bomb and bullet injuries around 8.30pm and the retaliatory attacks started around 9.30 pm.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the massacre following an order by the division bench of the chief justice of the Calcutta high court. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had formed a three-member special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the killings but it was taken off the case by the court.

The victims were hacked with sharp weapons such as axe before being set on fire, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of the Barshal panchayat and the son of one of the murdered women had earlier alleged.

Most of the victims were women and two were children. The state government has not yet declared their identities but the chief minister said at a public meeting on Sunday that the victims and the attackers were all supporters of the TMC.

Fire brigade personnel recovered seven charred bodies from a house on the morning of March 22. The eighth victim, a woman, died in hospital the same day.