Family members of Birbhum violence victims. (Express Photo)Birbhum violence case Live Updates: Following West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Bogtui village, where she ensured “speedy justice” to the victims of the violence that left eight dead, Congress leader Adhir Chowdhary accused the state government of “suppressing facts”.
Chowdhury, whose car was allegedly stopped more than once before reaching Bogtui, alleged that several bodies had disappeared from the site of violence. He said, “She (CM) alleged a big conspiracy behind this incident and that is why she has instructed the police to take strict action. The bodies of two children have gone missing. The CM is trying to suppress the facts.”
Meanwhile, after local residents complained to CM that local Trinamool Congress block president Anarul Hussain had hatched the conspiracy to set the houses ablaze, she ordered the DGP to arrest him. However, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari tweeted, “Can someone instruct an investigating agency to fabricate a case? Rather than directing the investigating agency to conduct a fair investigation and gather evidence that incriminates the real perpetrators, @MamataOfficial is pronouncing & dictating who are at fault. (sic)”
Villegers gathering in front of Bhadu Sheikh's house. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
It’s a story of rags to riches to murder to killing — and it illustrates how deep the politics-crime nexus has entrenched itself in rural Bengal allegedly feeding on the patronage of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
At its centre is Bhadu Sheikh, the 38-year-old TMC deputy pradhan of Barsal Gram Panchayat, a resident of Bagtui village, whose murder set off the retaliatory killing in which eight persons, including six women and a child, were charred to death, all relatives of one of his associates he had fallen out with. Read Ravik Bhattacharya and Atri Mitra's full report here
The BJP on Thursday slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal for allegedly “fabricating a case” over the Birbhum killings.
The statement came after the police arrested TMC’s Rampurhat block president Anarul Hossain in connection with the case at the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Read more
Leaders of opposition parties in West Bengal on Thursday visited Bogtui in Birbhum district where eight people were charred to death as their houses were set on fire in retaliation to the murder of a deputy panchayat pradhan after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left the village.
State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, whose car was allegedly stopped more than once before reaching Bogtui, alleged that several bodies had disappeared from the site of violence. He sat on a dharna on Sriniketan Road in protest against the police action. He said, “She (CM) alleged a big conspiracy behind this incident and that is why she has instructed the police to take strict action. The bodies of two children have gone missing. The CM is trying to suppress the facts.”
TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh Thursday said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment proves that he, too, believes that it is the state government that should be conducting a probe into the matter. The demand for imposition of President's Rule by the BJP doesn't stand anymore." Ghosh, however, wondered why the PM "chose to maintain silence on similar incidents" in Uttar Pradesh "What happened in Birbhum is condemnable. No one can support such violence. The PM, too, has condemned it. But we wonder why he maintains silence when carnages and mass murders take place in the BJP-ruled states. Has he ever condemned such incidents in Hathras and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh? The answer is no," The TMC leader said at a press meet here.
Modi, on Wednesday, described the killings in Birbhum as "heinous", and said the culprits should not be forgiven. He hoped that the state government would take all necessary steps to punish the perpetrators. The PM also promised all help to Bengal in bringing the perpetrators to justice. --PTI
The Birbhum Police on Thursday sent Rampurhat sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Shayan Ahmed on 'compulsory waiting', a day after eight people were burnt alive in the district's Bogtui village, a senior officer said.
The action came hours after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lambasted a few police officers in Rampurhat, stating that "duty negligence" probably led to the incident. --PTI
A fact-finding committee of the BJP visited Bogtui village in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Thursday, where eight people were burnt alive earlier this week, and spoke to the locals as well as relatives of the victims there. The team, 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 that broke out following a TMC panchayat official's murder. "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. --PTI
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Thursday condemned the killing of eight people in Birbhum district of West Bengal and said this cult of violence “sponsored” by the TMC and the BJP must end. Speaking to reporters at a press conference at the residence of party colleague M Y Tarigami, he said: “We strongly condemn it. This cult of violence is sponsored both by the BJP and the TMC. The BJP is doing exactly the same thing in Tripura against the CPI(M). This cult of violence and terror in politics has to end.”
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued a notice to West Bengal government, its state police chief in connection with killing of eight people at Bogtui village in Birbhum district, PTI reported.
"CM Mamata Banerjee wants to buy dead bodies by providing money & job to families of deceased. There'll be many such incidents if govt won't look into root causes. She can't control the law & order situation. We want an impartial probe by CBI & NIA," BJP's Sukanta Majumdar said.
West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar condemned the Birbhum violence and said he couldn't recall any incident as horrifying as this in last 10-20 years in Bengal. "CM Mamata Banerjee should have come earlier. We can't recall if something as horrific as this (Birbhum violence) had happened in the last 10-20 years," he sais. Echoing Vijayvargiya's words, he said, "These killings resemble the barbarism of the middle ages, people were locked & set ablaze alive."
Vijayvargiya claimed that there is a nexus of criminals, officials and political party instead of democracy in the state. "Dissidents against govt are either manhandled or are murdered. Governor is also treated in this manner.If situation aggravates like this, we'll demand President's rule," he added while speaking to ANI.
BJP leader Kailasj Vijayvargiya on Thursday said West Bengal is in a state on anarchy. "After the Assembly elections in 2021, BJP workers' houses were set ablaze. These killings (Birbhum violence) are happening under the aegis of govt. People are living in an atmosphere of terror," ANI quoted him as saying.
Soon after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered arrest of Trinamool Rampurhat-1 block president Anarul Sheikh, he was arrested from Tarapith on Thursday. She also lashed out at the police, stating that the “incident could have been avoided if the police had gone immediately”. “The DIB (District Intelligence Bureau) and IC (inspector in charge) did not fulfil their responsibility. Action must be taken against those who knowingly did not perform their duty,” said Banerjee.
"I've demanded that Section 355 of Constitution be invoked in state. We have also demanded a Court-monitored CBI probe. Bengal CM had come here on a picnic today. She came on a helicopter, held meeting, had food and then left. She should have listened to the locals," ANI quoted Adhit Ranjan Chowdhury as saying in Birbhum.
Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury on Thursday said the violence of Birbhum is a 'living example of medieval barbarism'. 'There's 'danav raj' instead of 'manav raj' here. CM has destroyed the state. Connivance b/w Police&TMC is looting the state. No other state is facing a situation like that in Bengal,' news agency ANI quoted Bengal Congress chief AR Chowdhury as saying in Rampurhat, Birbhum.
A delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday and demanded the removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, describing him as a “threat to parliamentary democratic system” even as political heat over the Birbhum killings continued to rise.
In a letter to Shah, signed by the TMC’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha floor leaders, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien respectively, the party claimed the “dangerous, inhuman and brutal” killings of eight people in the incident was not an outcome of any political confrontation. Read more
A 13-member TMC delegation led by Derek O' Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in view of Birbhum violence in West Bengal.
"National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice Arun Mishra India has taken suo motu cognisance of the Birbhum killings in West Bengal. Probe would be carried out by NHRC team there," said NHRC officials.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday visited the Bogtui village in the state’s Birbhum district, where eight people were killed, and lashed out at the police, stating that the “incident could have been avoided if the police had gone immediately”. “The DIB (District Intelligence Bureau) and IC (inspector in charge) did not fulfil their responsibility. Action must be taken against those who knowingly did not perform their duty,” said Banerjee.
The eight people, including women and children, were killed after at least eight houses in the area were attacked and set on fire following the murder of deputy pradhan Bhadu Sheikh in Bogtui under Rampurhat on Monday evening.
“Bhadu Sheikh’s murder is very unfortunate and what happened since then is highly reprehensible,” added Banerjee as she asked the police to arrest Anarul Shiekh, the Rampurhat 1 block president. Local residents complained against Anarul, accusing him of conspiring the Bogtui firing incident. Read more
In Bogtui, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday met the families of the victims and announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for rebuilding the scorched homes. Apart from this, she announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the victims, and Rs 50,000 each to those injured.
The family members of the victims of the Birbhum violence. Express Photos by Partha Paul