In what some Opposition parties saw a “shameless exercise” to politically encash an unfortunate incident, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced job, cash and other material helps for the kin of Afrajul Khan, the Malda construction worker who was brutally hacked and burnt alive at Rajsamand in Rajasthan.
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee who is also the Chief Minister’s nephew complemented the administrative action at political level with a candle-light rally: “to condemn communal killings in BJP-ruled States,” and “to forewarn” a buoyant State BJP against “encouraging communal hatred and armed-rallies.”
Concurrent to directing two senior Ministers and three MPs to rush to Malda house of the deceased the Chief Minister tweeted, “very said incident happened in Rajasthan. A labourer of Malda from our State was brutally killed. His family is totally helpless. As a small help to the bereaved family out Government has decided to provide Rs 3 lakh to the family.”
The Government would also provide a job to one of Khan’s threedaughters apart from helping their education and other necessities,
she said. “Also one job to an eligible person of the victim’s family … other help from the Government will also be provided,” she wrote.
The Government had also asked the police department to hold Director General-level talks with the Rajasthan Police so as to ensure safety and security of the remaining 3,500 migrated workers from Bengal to that State, sources in the Home Department said.
Shabhunath Raigar the prime accused had on Wednesday hacked and burnt the victim to death at Rajsamand even as one of his minor relatives filmed the brutal sight before posting it in the social media as a “warning to the love jihadists.”
In the Friday evening a long candle-light rally led by junior Banerjee and comprising some Trinamool leaders marched down busy Asutosh
Mukherjee Road with a message to “halt communal killings.” Abhishek said, “the brutal incident only proves the fast deteriorating state of law and order in the BJP-ruled States. The murder and then the audacity of making it public is unprecedented in the history of free India.
“Dilip Babus (Bengal BJP president) should now begin to appreciate the disastrous effects of armed-rallies --- as had taken place in districts like Birbhum. This audacity to kill at will and then broadcast it comes from political indulgence given by the saffron parties,” the MP said insisting however “in Bengal we will not allow such communal incidents to take place.”