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Row over Birbhum violence heats up as Opposition targets TMC govt
The development came as chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited Bogtui village, where the violence occurred late on Monday, and ordered the arrest of all suspects, including her party colleagues.
Opposition parties mounted pressure on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the killings of eight people in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Thursday, accusing the state government of shielding suspects and saying the crime resembled the excesses of Nazi Germany.
The development came as chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited Bogtui village, where the violence occurred late on Monday, and ordered the arrest of all suspects, including her party colleagues. Hours later, police arrested a local TMC leader, Anarul Hossain, after the chief minister said that he did not pay proper attention to the apprehension of locals about a possible disturbance in the area, leading to the carnage.
Several leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress also visited the spot and spoke to local residents as well as relatives of the victims.
In the state assembly in Kolkata, BJP lawmakers held a protest in the well of the House for around 30 minutes before staging a walkout after the Speaker refused to grant time for a discussion on the killings. “We wanted the session to be adjourned and demanded a discussion on the deteriorating law and order in the state. It was not allowed. Hence, we staged a protest. This fight will go on. On Friday, too, we would stage a protest,” leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari said.
Dubbing the killings as reminiscent of a “Nazi concentration camp”, the party accused the chief minister of showing no “mamata” (affection) and of being “nirmam” (cruel).
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who also visited the village, said the chief minister had destroyed West Bengal by creating ‘danav raj’ (rule of evil) in the state.
”It is a living example of medieval barbarism. There is ‘danav raj’ instead of ‘manav raj’ (rule of people) in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has destroyed Bengal. The connivance of ruling TMC and Police are looting the state. No other state in the country has this kind of situation. Yes, violence happened in Hathras and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. We also went there. But, the situation of Bengal is the worst.”
The CPI(M), which had sent a team to the village on Wednesday, also slammed the state government.
“It (Banerjee’s order to DGP) is an eyewash. How will the TMC fight the panchayat polls scheduled in 2023 if all illegal arms are seized? Just seal the TMC party offices and raid them and then see how many such illegal arms are seized,” state secretary Md Salim said.
Eight people, including two children, were charred to death when eight huts were set ablaze in Bogtui village late on Monday, in a suspected fallout of the murder of a ruling TMC panchayat official Bhadu Sheikh. The state government on Tuesday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case.
During her visit to the village, Banerjee spoke with the family members of the victims and offered them permanent government jobs and funds as compensation. “Police will ensure that strictest punishment is handed out to culprits responsible for the Rampurhat carnage,” she said. She also said there could be a “bigger conspiracy” behind the carnage which has attracted widespread condemnation. She
A fact-finding committee of the BJP, comprising former Uttar Pradesh DGP Brij Lal, Mumbai ex-police commissioner Satya Pal Singh and Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar, assured all help to the families of those killed in the violence.
“We have come here to witness the situation in the aftermath of the mass murder. This (TMC) government has lost its moral right to govern. What happened in Bogtui is a shame for humanity,” Majumdar told reporters after visiting the village.
“The chief minister had been claiming that all culprits will be punished. The police, on the other hand, were trying to hush up the matter,” he alleged.
Taking a swipe at the chief minister for directing the DGP to conduct a statewide drive and seize all illegal firearms, Majumdar said: “It is good that the chief minister has accepted that there are illegal arms and explosives hidden in the state. Now, on the orders of the chief minister, the police will recover the arms within 10 days. What were they (the chief minister and the police) doing all these 11 years? Is this a joke? After every murder ,she announces the formation of a SIT to suppress the case.”
On Thursday, the Calcutta high court, which had sought a detailed report from the state government, reserved its order in a suo motu petition, along with a bunch of PILs seeking an independent probe into the case.
