Thursday, March 28, 2024

Post poll violence continues in Bengal as one killed, six injured; Governor hits out at Mamata government

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By PTI
KOLKATA: One person was killed and six others were injured in a clash between the TMC and the BJP in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred at Muktinagar village under Dubrajpur assembly constituency when a group of people, allegedly BJP workers, tried to enter the houses of villagers on Friday night, a police officer said.

“Members of the Trinamool Congress, who were feasting nearby, came to their rescue and they clashed with the BJP workers leading to the death of one and injuries to six others,” the police officer said.

The injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Suri.

The incident took place when a fact-finding team of the Union Home Ministry is visiting the state to take stock of post-poll violence.

The house of another TMC activist was ransacked at a place near the village on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the four-member team of the Union Home Ministry on Saturday visited several violence-ravaged places of the state.

The team, led by an additional secretary of the ministry, flew to Birbhum district in the morning and from there they proceeded to several places, including Nanoor, which have been witnessing post-poll violence following the announcement of assembly poll results on May 2.

Members of the team then went to Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district and visited places like Kendamari Jalpai and spoke to locals.

The team, tasked with looking into reasons for the post-poll violence in West Bengal, had met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhavan on Friday.

The ministry has sought a report from Dhankhar on the law and order situation in Bengal, in view of the violence that erupted in the state following the announcement of assembly election results.

ALSO READ | Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee begins Assembly session with attacks on Centre, poll panel

The team had visited Budge Budge and Satgachia in South 24 Parganas district on Friday.

The panel had on Thursday, too, toured several places in South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas, shortly after arriving here, and held meetings with the chief secretary, home secretary and the DGP at the secretariat, officials said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that 16 people were killed in post-poll violence in the state.

The BJP, on its part, alleged that TMC-backed goons have killed a number of its workers, attacked women members, vandalised houses and looted shops.

Rejecting the charges, Banerjee maintained that clashes were taking place in those areas where the saffron party emerged victorious in the assembly polls.

Dhankhar Saturday expressed displeasure at not being updated on the law and order situation in the state with regard to post poll violence by the chief secretary and director general of police (DGP).

State Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and DGP Virendra called on the governor at Raj Bhavan on Saturday evening being asked by him over the law and order situation in West Bengal.

“Unfortunately both came without any paper or reports sought. Directed them to send the same without delay. In a sense disgusted with such stance,” Dhankhar tweeted after the officers met him.

Maintaining that the home secretary has failed to apprise him on the law and order situation vis a vis the post-poll violence, Dhankhar had asked the chief secretary to see him.

Dhankhar had tweeted earlier in the day that the home secretary did not forward reports of the DGP and commissioner of Kolkata Police in this regard.

“Chief Secretary @MamataOfficial has been called upon to see me today before 7 PM as ACS Home @HomeBengal failed to impart status report on law and order regarding post poll violence,” the governor tweeted.

“Such drifting of governance @MamataOfficial from constitutional prescriptions is unfortunate and cannot be overlooked. While the State passes through most severe post poll violence, there is just NO input to the constitutional head. This is least expected,” Dhankhar wrote.

The West Bengal has been rocked by large scale violence after the bitterly fought state elections.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that 16 persons of different political parties have lost their lives in clashes after the end of the polls.

A four-member team of the union home ministry, tasked with looking into reasons for the post-poll violence in Bengal, had met Dhankhar at Raj Bhawan.

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