On Monday evening, the murder of a deputy Pradhan in Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district triggered a chain of events that resulted in the attack and burning of at least eight houses in the area, killing eight people, including women and children.
According to police, two FIRs have been filed – one in connection with the assassination of deputy Pradhan Bhadu Sheikh and another in connection with the attack on the houses. Eleven individuals have been arrested in connection with the second case.
Bhadu Sheikh, 38, the deputy Pradhan and a member of the ruling Trinamool Congress, was allegedly standing near the Bogtui crossing late Monday evening when four men on two motorcycles allegedly lobbed crude bombs at him. Sheikh was rushed to the Rampur hat block government hospital but died en-route.
Hours later, a cluster of houses, including Fatikh Sheikh’s and those of Sona Sheikh’s relatives — two of the accused in Bhadu’s murder who have since fled the country — was allegedly attacked and set on fire, killing eight people.
While the charred bodies recovered from the houses have not been identified, police have stated that the victims included women and children. Meena Bibi, the wife of accused Fatikh Sheikh who died in hospital as a result of her burn injuries, is the only one identified thus far.
While the police denied any political motivation and stated that it was a case of rivalry between two groups, the incident reverberated in New Delhi and Kolkata, with the Union Home Ministry requesting a report from the state government, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar summoning the chief secretary, and the state government establishing a Special Investigation Team.
Opposition parties blamed the state government for “deteriorating law and order,” prompting the BJP to withdraw from the state Assembly.
Reactions of Oppositions to the Issue
The BJP has stepped up its campaign against the Trinamool Congress, claiming that the killing is the latest in a long line of political assassinations in Bengal.
The BJP has targeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the killing of eight people in the Bogtui village of Bengal’s Birbhum district. Mamata Banerjee today said “similar incidents have occurred in Gujarat and Rajasthan as well” and assured action would be taken “fairly.”
The Bengal BJP filed a public interest litigation in the Calcutta High Court seeking an investigation into the incident by the CBI and NIA, as well as compensation for the families of those killed in the attack on their homes. The case is expected to be heard later this week.
The BJP delegation, led by Adhikari, the state Assembly’s opposition leader, was stopped by police barricades set up just outside Bogtui village.
Mohammad Salim, CPM state secretary, described the incident as a “massacre,” adding, “Again, a minister will visit the scene, but who will bear responsibility for the deaths?” Efforts are being made to contain the incident,” he stated.
Suo-moto, the Calcutta High Court takes cognizance of the case.
On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court took Suo moto cognizance of the case. The bench also ordered the installation of CCTV cameras in the presence of the district judge and 24-hour CCTV surveillance of the incident site.
The court also ordered a forensic team from Delhi’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to collect all essential materials from Bogtui village.
The court ordered the West Bengal Police Director General and other top officers to meet with Purba Burdwan District Judge to discuss security in Bogtui village.
Advocate General Soumendranath Mukhopadhyay was also asked if the case should be turned over to the CBI. The AG stated that if the police inquiry fails, a CBI investigation can be considered.
“It was a terrible and serious tragedy,” said Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava on Wednesday. It has a huge impact on people.”
Published By : Revathy G Sanal
Edited By : Subbuthai Padma
