BJP report links TMC leader to Bengal killings, CM rebuts
KOLKATA: The political tussle over the massacre of nine people in West Bengal’s Birbhum district escalated on Wednesday after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) report linked a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader with the violence, drawing a sharp response from chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who called it an attempt to weaken the ongoing probe.
Eight people, mostly women and children, were killed on March 21 following the killing of TMC panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh in Bogtui village of Birbhum district. One more woman succumbed on Monday, taking the toll to nine. On March 25, the Calcutta high court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the incident and submit a report by April 7.
A five-member fact-finding committee of the BJP submitted its report to party president JP Nadda on Wednesday. The report pointed to the involvement of TMC district president Anubrata Mondol based on statements he made after the incident was reported. Mondol had told the media that the houses may have caught fire because of a short circuit or a blast in a television set
“It is absolutely a BJP’S conspiracy. It is a larger conspiracy. We have seen the report. How do they know who all are involved without investigating?” asked Banerjee. “The (CBI) hasn’t completed even one-fourth of its investigation and you (BJP) are mentioning the names of those who are responsible. They (BJP) have already taken a decision.”
“In the report they have mentioned the name of my (party’s) district president... This is very rough, negative, biased and vindictive attitude,” Banerjee told reporters at Darjeeling in north Bengal. “How can they mention his name without investigation? It means they want to arrest him. That is a personal vendetta.”
The BJP said Nadda expressed concern over the Birbhum incident and the role of the state police. “We have submitted a comprehensive report to party president JP Nadda, seeking central intervention as the state’s law and order has touched the rock bottom. The chief minister is making baseless allegations. The CBI is probing on the orders of the high court. The BJP had no role here,” said Sukanta Majumdar, BJP’S West Bengal president. “He (Nadda) has gone through it extensively. He expressed his concern over the genocide and the role of police.”
The 24-page report also alleged that the TMC’S block president Anarul Hossain was alerted by one of the victims when the houses were being set on fire but he did not do anything to intervene. The report further alleges a strong nexus between criminals and politicians while tracing the alleged rise of slain TMC leader Sheikh from a helper in a local meat shop to a TMC strongman. According to the report, Badu Sheikh was killed over differences between two factions of the TMC over “cut money” which came from allegedly extorting truck drivers. The Birbhum carnage was a retaliation of Sheikh’s murder.
The BJP has also demanded that the national human rights commission, the national commission for women and NCPCR send teams to Bogtui village. It also demanded that the ED should step in to bust the illegal extortion racket. The CBI hasn’t questioned Mondol so far but sleuths of the federal agency have already spoken to Anarul Hossain, who was arrested on the orders of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and is now in custody. The developments came days after Banerjee made renewed efforts to forge a national opposition platform and blamed the BJP of misusing central enforcement agencies.