Mamata Banerjee met the family of eight people killed in violence in Birbhum district this week and announced compensation to each. She also announced an additional ₹50,000 for families who lost children – two of the eight who died were children. An extra 2 lakh rupees would be given to each household to rebuild homes burnt down in the incident.
Eight people were burnt to death in Rampurhat early Tuesday morning after several houses were set on fire. This was after the killing of Bhadu Sheikh, a resident of Bogtui village and a local Trinamool leader. Residents said the violence was likely the result of an old rivalry between two factions of the Trinamool Congress.
The chief minister – under fire from the opposition BJP and Congress and facing demands to resign – also said strict action would be taken against senior police officers in the area. “There is a big conspiracy. Police will do impartial investigation. Take stringent actions,” she said.
Twenty-three people have been arrested in connection with the deaths and arson attacks that killed Sheikh Zayed al-Hussein, police said.
In the relentless war of words between the BJP and the Trinamool, the prime minister’s tweet had a sting; he said he expected ‘strict action against culprits’ (and) those who encourage such criminals should not be forgiven too.
She is expected to depart from Kolkata at around noon and fly via chopper to the violence-affected area. The opposition BJP has demanded President’s Rule, calling for the resignation of the chief minister. But she hit back saying: We are running the government. Why would we want murder, bloodshed and a bomb blast?
“I will go there tomorrow (March 24). I planned to go there today (March 23). I was ready. But some political parties are going there and having sweets. I don’t want to go there when they (opposition parties) are there. I don’t want to quarrel with them unnecessarily,” she said.
Mamata Banerjee’s former aide Suvendu Adhikari has called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or National Investigation Agency (NIA) into alleged illegal mining in West Bengal’s Kolkata region. A delegation from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) visited the area yesterday and met local politicians, police and social workers.
The home ministry has sought a detailed report from the Bengal government after allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the city of Calcutta. The Congress and the BJP have called on the President to impose President’s Rule in the state. National Commission for Women (NCW) and National Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also taken cognisance of the incident.
