Kolkata: Police in West Bengal’s Birbhum district arrested five people and detained 10 others on Wednesday for political violence that had left three people dead.
“We have arrested five people and detained 10 others for questioning based on the police complaint filed by the victims’ family. We are trying to find out the masterminds behind this attack,” additional superintendent of police (Birbhum) Ananda Roy said.
However, the move has raised questions on why the police turned a blind eye while miscreants were forcing entry into Makhra village when prohibitory orders on movement and gathering of people were enforced on October 25.
Villagers said even after reports of three deaths, police remained cocooned within their camps at a local high school, just a kilometre away. “We pleaded with them, but no one came out to defend us. It seems they were aware that an attack was coming,” said Ganesh Dol, a resident of Makra village.
Police are yet to complete autopsies on the bodies of victims Tausif Shaikh (16) and Mozammel Shaikh (40) and hand over the bodies to the family members, due to lack of surgeons at district hospital. The third victim is yet to be identified.
“A five-member board has been formed to give us a collective opinion. We were informed that forensic experts who deal with these cases were not available here,” said Sovan De, superintendent of the district hospital. “The bodies will be sent to Burdwan on Thursday,” he added.
Birbhum police has a dubious reputation of being on the wrong foot every time any incident of violence was reported against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders.
On June 3 this year, a crude bomb was hurled on Dubrajpur police station injuring sub-inspector Amit Chakraborty, which led to his death a month later. One of the accused a TMC local committee member is still absconding. A month later, on July 21, TMC supporters raided the Lokpur police outpost. Again, on September 5, former TMC Youth Congress district president Sudipto Ghosh and others raided Bolpur police station and allegedly assaulted on-duty officers. Police lodged an FIR themselves. A Birbhum court has twice rejected Ghosh’s bail plea, but he is still ‘absconding’.
“Unless we free the police from political subordination, it will be difficult for them to act against the ruling party. Earlier police were accused of supporting CPI (M) and now TMC. The fact is we are forced to [support them] or else we are punished through difficult postings and promotions are stopped,” said a retired police commissioner of Kolkata.
Meanwhile, despite a terse message from chief minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure law and order, villagers had been fleeing the area fearing an impending attack. All through the day, villagers moved out of the area with cattle and belongings in tow. The trigger behind their exodus were rumours about “certain people” from Burdwan crossing the Ajoy river and reaching Illambazzar area — a place not far away from Makra village. The villagers feared another attack was planned on the village, which has a majority Muslim population.
“There is bound to another round of attacks by TMC as they believe we have joined the BJP. They want to punish us,” said a villager who was moving to his sister’s house in the adjoining district.
BJP state president Rahul Sinha who had moved the Calcutta High Court over the incident demanding a central probe said, “They have attacked Makra as the entire village consists of BJP supporters. The terror tactics of TMC won’t work anymore in Bengal. The minorities too have started realising the true face of TMC,” Sinha said adding that a high-level delegation from the party’s central team will visit the area on Thursday.
