Birbhum Violence: While Oppn Corners CM Mamata, TMC Demands Guv's Removal as Rampurhat Massacre Wrecks State

The incident of Birbhum massacre was taken up by members of the Parliament in Lok Sabha on Thursday as leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress traded barbs at each in and outside the floor of the House. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a tough stance and said suspects of the Rampurhat killings will have to be hunted down and arrested unless they surrender, and asserted that police would ensure the strictest punishment for the culprits.

On the other hand, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, too reacted, calling the incident “shames humanity and democracy”.

In Lok Sabha, TMC MP Sudip Banerjee, demanded that Governor Dhankhar be removed from the state. “We have made a demand to withdraw the governor. Home Minister told us that on this issue there is no politics.”

At a press conference, BJP leader Sambit Patra slammed CM Banerjee, calling the TMC supremo “nirmam (cruel) Banerjee”. “This issue pertains to whole of our country and not just West Bengal. These are revenge killings. The Bengal files is full of such revenge killing cases. You are not Mamata Banerjee, but Nirmam Banerjee. She does not have an ounce of kindness. In the last one week, Bengal has seen 26 political killings. Women in the village are saying the whole night police did not turn up, which means that the administration was hand in glove with killers,” Patra said.

Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, in one of the earliest reactions, called the carnage “the most gruesome massacre that West Bengal has ever witnessed happened”.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the killings in Birbhum a day before as “heinous” and said the culprits should not be forgiven. Speaking at a virtual event to inaugurate a gallery dedicated to freedom fighters at the Victoria Memorial here, Prime Minister Modi said the Central Government is willing to help the state in any way required in bringing perpetrators to justice.

He said he hoped the state would take steps to bring the culprits to justice quickly. I express my condolences over the violent incident in Birbhum district in West Bengal. I hope that the state government will definitely ensure that those who have committed such heinous crimes are punished, Modi said.

I would also urge the people of Bengal to never forgive the perpetrators of such incidents, those who encourage such criminals. The centre would extend all sorts of help to the state government to ensure the culprits are booked, he said. TMC leader and senior Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee reacting to the Prime Minister’s offer of help in ensuring justice for the victims of the Birbhum killings said, The state government is duty-bound to ensure that the rule of law should take its course. The culprits will be hunted down and punished.

Banerjee, who landed at a helipad near Bogtui village where 8 people were burnt alive early on Tuesday, also promised permanent government jobs to members of the 10 affected families.

“Police will ensure strictest punishment is handed out to culprits responsible for the Rampurhat carnage. The case filed before the court should be water-tight,” she said. The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the victims, and Rs 2 lakh each for rebuilding the damaged houses.

Those injured will be provided Rs 50,000 each, she added. “Police has been ordered to throw a dragnet to unearth secret caches of illicit firearms and bombs across Bengal,” Banerjee said.

Eight people, including two children, were charred to death as nearly a dozen huts were set ablaze in Birbhum district early Tuesday in a suspected fallout of the murder of a ruling TMC panchayat official.

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