Kolkata: Several ministers and legislators of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal have expressed concern over a potential life threat to state food minister Jyotipriyo Mullick after he claimed he narrowly escaped being mowed down by a sports utility vehicle near his residence in Saltlake earlier in the week.
“I will never forget that moment in my life. I go for morning walks every day. I was walking back to my residence, when all of a sudden an olive green colour Tata Sumo came towards me at high speed and tried to mow me down. I jumped on to a footpath... It was a close shave,” Mullick told Gulf News.
“I personally feel that cross-border cow smugglers are trying to scare me as strict action is being taken against them by our government. I have heard that these people are extremely rich and wield power and can go to any extent. But this will not deter us,” the minister said.
“Didi [Chief minister Mamata Banerjee] has given clear instructions that action will be taken against cow smugglers operating in the Indo-Bangla border. And her orders will be followed. So such threats can’t deter us from taking action,” Mullick added.
Cross-border cow smuggling is rife along the Indo-Bangladesh border and it is seen in some quarters that Mullick is being targeted to send a signal to the government since he is the party chief of the South 24 Parganas district, which shares a large border with Bangladesh.
Police though have stepped up the vigil; the minister has not stopped his daily routine of morning walks and is unwilling to give in to such “cowardly acts”.
However, several ministers and legislators of the TMC are a worried lot as they fear that they could be the next target of the smugglers unhappy with the government’s actions. “We have requested to tighten police protection as the government is trying to break a hornets’ nest, which seems like a powerful cartel who can go to any extent,” said a TMC legislator whose constituency lies along the border.
Others have voiced similar concerns as police have also warned several ministers and legislators to be on guard as the crackdown on the smugglers is stepped up. Even Banerjee is said to be worried and has asked bureaucrats among others to be on their guard.
The police, though unwilling to comment on the investigations, are still trying to track down the vehicle that attempted to knock down the minister. “The minister was unable to note down the number and to locate a car based on few basic descriptions is tough in a large state. We are trying though the protection around him has been increased,” said a police officer.
