A Central delegation of BJP leaders visiting violence-torn areas of Ilambazar in Birbhum district on Sunday warned the Mamata Banerjee Government to contain political killings or face Central intervention as New Delhi was closely watching the proceedings in Bengal.
Notwithstanding the words of caution, the State witnessed five more political murders since Saturday night.
“The Trinamool regime has surpassed the left era in terms of political violence. Ever since Mamata Banerjee Government took over, the State has witnessed 157 political murders and 35 suicides for political reasons. This is deplorable and cannot be tolerated,” BJP vice-president Balbir Punj who led the team said adding such teams would keep visiting repeatedly if violence went on. Bengal was being watched by the Centre he maintained.
The team was visiting Ilambazar where a BJP worker Sheikh Rahim was hacked to death by Trinamool goons on June 7. Ilambazar block is dominated by the minority community who had traditionally backed the left Front before switching to Trinamool after 2011 Assembly elections.
However, in the recent past the area saw a fast rise in BJP’s support base leading to direct confrontation between the Trinamool and the saffron outfit. SK Rahim’s death was the fallout of one such confrontation, locals say.
The Central team comprised Punj, MP Kirti Azad, BJP’s Central observer for Bengal Siddharth Nath Singh, and party Minority Morcha president Abdul Rashid Ansari.
“The locals are very afraid. They fear more attacks from the Trinamool goons after we have left,” Kirti Azad said after meeting the kin of the dead victim wondering “why Mamata Banerjee whom I respect very much have failed to instill confidence among the people.”
Every one has the right to follow his political ideology “but why shall he or she be attacked and killed like thisIJ We heard how SK Rahim was brutally murdered by the killers who tied the women of his house with lamppost naked. This type of political culture is not acceptable,” he said adding the team would prepare a detailed report and present it before the appropriate authorities including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“law and order is the responsibility of the State Government but if it fails, the Centre will have to think of strong actions,” Azad said.
The BJP delegation saw several thousand people gathering at the area with their complaints of political highhandedness by the ruling Trinamool goons. “They cannot speak up against the goons but their eyes clearly transmit their fears,” said the leaders.
This was the second high-level delegation from Delhi. The first one had visited Saneshkhali in North 24 Parganas where 23 BJP workers were injured after being fired at by Trinamool goons for celebrating the Prime Minster swearing-in.
The visit of BJP team, however, failed to scare the marauding bands elsewhere even as four Trinamool workers were on Saturday evening hacked to death in an alleged inter-party rivalry at Raidihghi in South 24 Parganas, a stone’s throw from Kolkata.
The Trinamool leaders, however, claimed CPI(M) hand in the murder. Kanti Ganguli, a former State Minister, along with 21 others were named in the FIR. However, the police said four persons were murdered when they were returning from a botched intra-party meeting called to settle outstanding issues between two rival groups.
The fifth murder took place at Northbrook Jute Mills at Bhadreshwar in Hooghly district where the CEO of the company SP Maheswari was clubbed to death by the workers. Ther GM and a security staff was also injured in the attack.