Rampurhat/Kolkata: Eight persons died in the early hours of Tuesday after their houses caught fire at Rampurhat in Birbhum district, police said. The incident took place within an hour after the alleged murder of Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh Monday. This information was given by DGP Manoj Malaviya in Kolkata. Malaviya said seven charred bodies were recovered from one of the burnt houses, while one injured person died in hospital.
“The situation is now under control and a police picket has been established in the village since Monday night. We are investigating how the houses caught fire. We are also trying to ascertain whether the incident is related to the death of the panchayat deputy chief of Barshal village,” informed Malaviya.
Earlier some fire brigade officials had claimed that 10 charred bodies were found. However, Malaviya clarified while seven of them were recovered after the blaze was brought under control, three injured persons were rescued of whom one died in a hospital.
The SDPO and in-charge of Rampurhat police station have been removed from active policing duty, the DGP said. The West Bengal government has set up a special investigation team headed by ADG (CID) Gyanwant Singh to probe the incident, Malaviya stated.
The ruling TMC has also sent a three-member MLA team led by minister Firhad Hakim to the spot to take stock of the situation.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar strongly condemned the violence in Birbhum district. He said human rights have been ‘decimated’ and rule of law has ‘capsised’. Dhankar offered condolence to the families of those who lost their lives. He said that West Bengal is in a ‘grip of violence culture and lawlessness’. He said that he was pained and disturbed at the ‘horrifying barbarity’ at Rampurhat.
In a video message posted on his official Twitter account, Dhankar called the incident a ‘horrifying violence and arson orgy’ and said he has sought an urgent update on the incident from the state’s Chief Secretary.
See link: https://twitter.com/jdhankhar1/status/1506187657692340226
The opposition was quick to pounce on the issue. BJP legislators walked out of the West Bengal Assembly at the end of the first half of the day’s session demanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee make a statement on the floor of the House on the tragic development. BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh wanted to raise the issue in Zero Hour but was not allowed by Speaker Biman Banerjee who said it was not listed in the questions.
Shouting ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Dhikkar Dhikkar’ (condemn), Ghosh and 40 members of the saffron party walked out of the House.