Who fired bullets? Mamata Banerjee on Mrityunjay Barman’s death in Kaliaganj

Barman was allegedly shot dead on April 27 after a mob attacked the police over the alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl in Uttar Dinajpur’s Kaliaganj a few days back on April 21

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday raised questions over the death of 33-year-old Mrityunjay Barman, the nephew of a panchayat-level Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, who was allegedly killed in police firing in Kalaiganj last month.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (File Photo)

This comes a day after the state police on Wednesday told the Calcutta high court that Barman had died in police firing last week.

“Who fired the bullets? I have heard that the BSF (Border Security Force) controls the village. Is it a fact? I have heard that they enter villages along the border and torture people. Does the BSF supervise the village? There should be an enquiry. Where did the bullets come from and who fired it?” Banerjee raised questions while addressing an administrative meeting in Malda district on Thursday.

CM Banerjee also said that some people were trying to trigger riots in the state while directing the police to take immediate action against hate speeches.

“A team of 20-25 people had come from Delhi and held a meeting. They directed to trigger violence between castes and communities. Some people were paid to trigger riots (in West Bengal). These have come to our notice. We have to keep a watch,” she added.

On Banerjee’s BSF remark, a senior BSF official said that the BSF neither controls nor supervises any border village.

“On April 27 when the individual was shot dead, BSF remained away from the village as it was a law-and-order situation. BSF didn’t enter the village, nor did it torture any innocent civilian” added the official.

Barman was allegedly shot dead on April 27 after a mob attacked the police over the alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl in Uttar Dinajpur’s Kaliaganj a few days back on April 21.

The high court was hearing an appeal for a second post-mortem on Mrityunjoy’s mortal remains.

“The concerned ASI (assistant sub-inspector) Moajjen Hussain was a part of the raiding police party who were retreating after a village mob attacked the police. The ASI was left behind after he fell. He saw the mob approaching to lynch and fired from his weapon to disperse the mob. One bullet hit Barman,” stated the court order.

While the state government has already ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Calcutta high court has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident. The two probes would run parallelly, the court said.

Responding to Banerjee’s allegations, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “If the chief minister, who doubles up as the state’s home minister, had specific information why didn’t she arrest the people? The way she attacked the country’s security agencies and the words she used are not expected from any chief minister. It seems she is under tremendous mental pressure.”