West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the violence that erupted in Birbhum district was more common in many north Indian states, reported PTI.
“Not justifying Birbhum killings, but such incidents are more frequent in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan,” Banerjee said.
The violence in Bogtui village on the outskirts of Rampurhat town took place on Tuesday following the alleged murder of Bhadu Sheikh, a panchayat leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress. He died after miscreants allegedly hurled bombs at him on Monday night.
Hours later, violence erupted and several houses, including two belonging to the men accused of Sheikh’s murder, were allegedly attacked and set on fire. The police said women and children were among those killed. Seven charred bodies were recovered from one house alone, while one person died of injuries in a hospital in the district.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has sought Banerjee’s resignation due to the violence and called for an investigation by central agencies.
On Wednesday, Banerjee asserted that her government will take action against the perpetrators of the violence and alleged that it was a conspiracy to malign the image of the Trinamool Congress.
“The government is ours, we are concerned about people in our state,” she said. “We would never want anyone to suffer. The Birbhum Rampurhat incident is unfortunate. I have immediately dismissed the OC [officer in charge], SDPO [sub divisional police officer].”
Banerjee also brought up the Hathras gangrape in Uttar Pradesh, saying that the Adityanath government had not allowed a Trinamool Congress delegation to enter the district and meet the woman’s family. She said that her government was not stopping anyone from visiting Birbhum.
“This is Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh,” the chief minister said.
In Hathras, a 19-year-old Dalit woman was gangraped and murdered by four upper-caste Thakur men on September 14, 2020. The woman had succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Delhi on September 29 of that year.
Banerjee said that she was going to Birbhum on Wednesday, but postponed her visit for the next day as several political leaders were already there, reported The Indian Express.
“I heard they [political leaders] stopped at Asansol to eat langcha [a sweet] and are going to Rampurhat,” she claimed. “I don’t know when will they return. Because I don’t want to fight with them there so I will go tomorrow.”
‘Centre willing to help Bengal,’ says prime minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday offered the Centre’s support to the West Bengal government in bringing the perpetrators of the Birbhum violence to justice.
In a series of tweets, the prime minister added: “I hope state government takes strict action against culprits, and those who encourage such criminals should not be forgiven too.”
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari said the incident was unfortunate and demanded that president’s rule be imposed in the state.
“Calcutta High Court has given directions to Central Forensics,” Adhikari told ANI. “We demand a National Investigation Agency or Central Bureau of Investigation probe. Special Investigation Team is a wing of state government.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will visit Birbhum on Thursday to evaluate the situation and will submit a report to the leadership, said K Suresh, the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha, ANI reported.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) state Secretary Mohammed Salim was the first to visit the village on Wednesday morning, according to The Indian Express.
“While goons set fire and killed innocent men, women and children, police were inactive,” Salim told reporters. “Why is the forensic team so late in reaching the spot? It is also suspicious that police buried the bodies last night. The state government and the ruling party needs to be brought to task.”
Former Left Front chairperson Biman Bose tried to visit Rampurhat but was stopped by the police. “I have been told that the forensic team is there and I cannot go,” Bose said.
A delegation of 55 BJP leaders have also left for the village, but unidentified police officials told The Indian Express that such a large group would not be allowed to enter.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to protect witnesses to the violence. The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.
The National Commission for Women, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Union home ministry have sought reports separately from the West Bengal government on the violence.
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