Eight killed in arson in Rampurhat town of West Bengal, victims involved women and children while CM of West Bengal visited the families on Thursday to aid the situation.
Eight houses were burnt down in the Birbhum district of West Bengal on Monday, 21st March 2022. The arson killed eight people while seven bodies were recovered from the incident. It is claimed to have taken place after the murder of Bhadhu Sheikh, the deputy gram panchayat. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee visited the affected families on Thursday, 24th March 2022.
She provided countermeasures and compensations for the families of the deceased. The Government has intervened in the issue to probe into the nitty-gritties of the incident. Several claims have been made regarding the origin of the conflict which resulted in the deaths of many. The murder of Bhadhu Sheikh, the deputy Gram panchayat took place on Monday, 21st March 2022. Shiekh was crossing Bogtui on Monday after sundown.
He was injured with crude bombs thrown at him by four men who passed him on motorcycles. He was immediately taken to the Rampurhat village hospital. However, he died before he reached his destination. The claims stated that since Bhadhu Sheikh was associated with Trinamool Congress, the issue must have a political angle. Although the police denied it.
The arson of the houses took place hours after the murder of the Sheikh. Eight houses were burnt down during the incident. The houses that were burnt down belonged to Fatikh Sheikh and Sona Sheikh’s relatives. It also included two among the ones accused of Skheikh’s murder. The injured individuals were immediately taken to the hospital.
It also included women and children. A total of seven bodies were retrieved while only one was identified. The individual was identified as Meena Bibi who was the wife of Fatikh Sheikh, one of the accused. Mourners of Bhadhu Sheikh’s death gathered around his house on Tuesday morning. Badu’s younger brother Jehangir said,
“After my brother was killed, hundreds of people from five villages gathered here. People were angry and they gave vent to their anger. We do not know who did what in the crowd.”
The family was taking care of the last rites for the deceased. The crowd outside his house turned into an angry mob in no time. While the mob violence was tried to be brought under control, it was difficult to identify who did what. Later, the police and the Government got involved in the case. The West Bengal DGP, Manoj Malviya released a statement confirming the exact numbers.
He informed us that we lost eight people to the fire and seven bodies were recovered. The Government issued a Special Investigation team to interrogate the matter. Gyanwant Singh, the additional director general of police (CID) headed the SIT. FIRs were also filed against both issues. Around eleven individuals were detained after being involved in the arson.
The Union Home Ministry has urged the State Government to submit a report to them immediately. The police denied any political angle. They said that the issue could also have sparked from internalized conflicts between the two groups involved. Firhad Hakim along with heading the TMC delegation also visited the site and met with the families.
He claimed to believe that the whole issue was a conspiracy. He said that the image of West Bengal was tainted and those involved will be dealt with without anyone being spared. Furthermore, he also added that doesn’t matter which party the accused are involved with, they will still receive punishment.
The Chief Minister of West Bengal visited the town on Thursday, 24th March 2022. She met the families and expressed her condolences for their loss. She offered monetary compensations for the families and individuals affected.
Compensation of 2 lakhs was provided for the reconstruction of the burnt houses. Furthermore, 5 lakhs were also provided for the families of the victims in addition to each receiving 50,000 each. Banerjee called out the police of the district for their delayed actions.
“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,” she said.
The village inspector-in-charge and sub-divisional police officer were suspended. In addition to this, the 1st block president of Rampurhat, Anarul Sheikh was also arrested. The National Human Right Council also took a step into the issue. Chairperson Justice Arun Mishra took Suo Motu cognizance of the incident. A team by the NHRC has also been set out to further probe into the matter.
Published By: Apoorva Wakodikar
Edited By: Subbuthai Padma
