The five-member fact-finding committee of the BJP on Birbum violence which submitted its report to party president JP Nadda on Wednesday, said West Bengal is in the grip of "mafia" led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and law and order has crashed in the State.
Nadda had constituted the committee to go to the spot and file an 'evidence-based' detailed report.
The BJP's probe committee comprised West Bengal state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, Rajya Sabha MP and former Uttar Pradesh DGP Brajlal, Lok Sabha MP and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satya Pal Singh, Rajya Sabha MP and former IPS KC Ramamurty and BJP spokesperson and former IPS Bharati Ghosh.
The report maintained the killings in village Bagtui were the result of "state-sponsored extortion, goonda tax, cut-money and tolabaji", referring to the local term used for bribe-taking by Bengal's ruling party leaders.
The rivalry over bribe amounts between the beneficiaries was another reason, the report alleged. "Local residents have deserted their homes fearing a threat to their life and property," the report claimed, recommending that bodies like the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women visit the village and set up confidence-building measures to bring the villagers back.
The report said Banerjee decided to visit the village only after the BJP team had already reached Kolkata. Because of the Chief Minister's "forced visit", the team was stopped by Trinamool "goons" bent on assaulting the fact-finding team.
"Not even a single officer or constable" was visible and no one came to the rescue of the fact-finding team when they were attacked," said the panel report, adding that attempts to contact senior police officers failed.
Banerjee "condemned" the BJP team's report and said such reports "interfered with investigations" and derailed them. "These are politically motivated reports. I condemn this attitude of the BJP and the central government. When an investigation is on, there should not be any interference from any party. It is an absolute misuse of power. This is bad, vindictive and biased attitude. Does BJP think only they will stay in this country," the Chief Minister told reporters.
Majumdar said the committee went to the village in Birbhum where the incident took place. We had to face problems to reach the village due to the ruling Trinamool Congress. He said the report will also be submitted to union home minister Amit Shah for action.
Banerjee further slammed BJP's Birbhum report and alleged personal vendetta. "Why is TMC's Birbhum president's name mentioned in the report? BJP wants to arrest all Opposition netas,” said Banerjee.
Meanwhile, the CBI named 21 accused under Section 147, 148, 149 and other Sections in FIR on suspected offence of armed rioting.
Eight people were killed in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal's Birbhum on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh.
The CBI took over the probe of the Birbhum violence case following the Calcutta High Court order.
