Instead of rubbing salt in the routed Marxists’ wounds the victorious Trinamool Congress is literally rubbing red chili in their Red opponents’ lesions. So cruel is the revenge for supporting the Opposition, that in ‘Green Bengal’ even the baby in the womb would not escape the victors’ wrath.
About 48 hours before Mamata Banerjee would take oath for the second successive time a baby in the womb paid the price of Trinamool Congress’ magnificent return to power with its life. In a bid to teach a CPI(M) polling agent the lesson of his life a gang of TMC men repeatedly kicked and punched on the belly of Arpita Mandal his pregnant wife.Hours later the woman from Bagda in North 24 Parganas had a miscarriage. The doctors told reporters on Thursday that even Mondal was fighting for her life.
Even as relentless attacks on Opposition workers continued more than a 1000 houses were looted and their occupants forced to flee the villages in West Midnapore alone, sources in the administration said expressing their helplessness to help the victims out.
Most attacks took place at Keshpur, Pingla, Narayangarh, Salboni, and outskirts of Midnapore town sources said. Sample the brutality of attacks orchestrated in Sirsha, Kehtua, Rajo, Belia and other hamlets of Keshpur. “They slashed our torso with knives and rubbed red chili and salt in the wounds, made us sit for hours at gun point like that,” said Rabi Dolui and Khokon Dolui of Khetua. Arup Dhara, Helu Dolui of Rajo echoed the same complaint.
The fate of lalmohan and Sourav Sani and laxman De Modak of Belia was no different. “They have been coming with trucks and carrying away on whatever they lay their hands on” complained Sk Udud of Dogachia.
From Chowkighata to Dogachia the pattern of attacks are the same. “They are striking in the dead of night looting our livestock, torching our huts and carrying everything away,” says a Sarmi laek of Narayangarh. “They have raised to ground about 82 tribal houses, looted 125 cows, 262 goats, 70 cycles, and 50 television sets” from Chowkighata. “A complaint has been filed with the police but nor receipt has been given.”
Incidentally the State Government had on Wednesday reinstated Bharati Ghosh a Mamata loyalist —who had been shifted from her post for alleged bias by the Election Commission — as the West Midnapore SP.
“They have stopped us from cultivating our lands, open our shops or run our rickshaws unless we pay them a Jazia for being in the Opposition,” says 80-year-old Joydev Guchait a former teacher, adding “they have extracted about Rs 2 crore from the people of West Midnapore alone as a fine for doing CPI(M).”
The reign of terror does not stop at the distant boondocks only. Close on the heels of BJP leader Rupa Ganguli being clubbed up by a gang of Trinamool rowdies the house of CPI(M) central committee leader Madan Ghosh was attacked by alleged Trinamool men. At posh Gariahat area of South Kolkata the auto-rickshaw drivers owing allegiance to the CITU or INTUC have been stopped from plying their vehicles unless they join the Trinamool. Notwithstanding, senior TMC leader Partho Chatterjee denied such attacks having taken place. “There have been only some stray incidents of clashes. No large-scale violence has taken place” he said while CPI(M)’s Md Salim said “the left Front has taken a vow to be on the street for the five years to fight these monsters out.”