Memories of the chilling horror in Bagtui resurfaced, this time in Baluakhali village of Jainagar block in South 24 Parganas. At least 16 houses belonging to CPI(M) workers were set ablaze, and their properties, including livestock and cash, were looted. Inmates, including women, were beaten and molested, leaving many of them injured and homeless. This incident occurred hours after a local Panchayat-level Trinamool Congress leader was shot dead by unknown miscreants. One of the murderers was also chased, caught and lynched by the alleged TMC in front of a large posse of police force that allowed the incidents to take place before conducting raids.
Things started in the small hours of Monday when Saifuddin Laskar, a TMC Panchayat member and a local party strongman was shot dead.
According to sources, Laskar (43) was on the way to a local mosque when miscreants opened fire at him. He died enroute to hospital, sources said.
Soon after the firing incident local TMC men gathered and chased the assailants catching two of them. While one of them was arrested the other was lynched, sources said adding they confessed to having been paid for the murder.
While the incident took place at 5.30 am by 7.30 am about 300 people attacked Baluakhali village 5 km away looting and burning properties, molesting women beating and stealing away their livestock and cash, locals said adding they were “poor people” who “knew nothing of the murder” and who were “being targeted because we are CPI(M) supporters.”
Even as TMC MP Shantanu Sen called it a public outrage where “people spontaneously came out of their houses and attacked the miscreants ...the party is not involved in this act,” adding the murder was a CPI(M) handiwork to regain its toehold in the area. Joynagar MLA Biswanath Das too lashed out at the CPIM, accusing the party of “bringing back violence in politics.” Laskar’s father too accused the CPI(M) for the murder saying, “my son’s only fault was that he was in the TMC.”
However Baruipur MLA Bivas Sarkar who was one of the first senior leaders to rush to the spot said, “some armed miscreants murdered him while he was going to offer his namaz.”
But accusing the TMC and Laskar of running a mafia raj in the area CPIM leadership said “this murder is the result of one of their numerous intra-party rivalries ... this was a murder to get control over the mafia empire much like Bagtui where 10 people were burnt to death after a similar murder of a TMC leader ... The TMC men are fighting for their shares in the booties ... we want a thorough investigation into the matter,” CPIM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, adding the TMC were trying to frame the poor villagers for their CPI(M) leanings.
State ADG Law and Order who later visited the area said “investigations are on ... and the guilty from both the sides will be apprehended soon.” District SP Palash Dhali rejected the allegations that police were mere onlookers as the raiders torched the houses.
