Kolkata, Mar 22: Unidentified miscreants set houses afire killing at least 10 people at Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Tuesday in alleged retaliation to the murder of the deputy chief of a Trinamool Congress controlled Panchayat body on Monday evening, senior officials said.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, however, said 12 people were killed in the incident in Rampurhat block. A senior official said the mob torched a number of houses in apparent retaliation to the killing of Badhu Sheikh, the deputy chief of Trinamool Congres-run Barshal panchayat.
Badhu Sheikh, who was shot by four masked men on Monday evening, was declared dead by medics at Rampurhat government hospital. After the news of Sheikh’s death came, the people at Bogtui village, furious over the murder of their leader, reportedly attacked the houses and torched them. The fire brigade sources said they found ten charred bodies.
However, SP Birbhum, Nagendranath Tripathy did not specify the cause of the fire. One source claimed the fire started following a cooking cylinder burst, which razed to the houses serially. A three-member TMC delegation rushed to the spot after a directive from state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Adhikari demanded immediate central intervention into the incident. “The nightlong barbarity has lead to the death of at least 12 people till now; mostly women. Charred bodies are being recovered as of now. Administrative cover-up has already begun with attempts being made to lower the body count. Immediate central intervention required”, twitted the BJP leader.
TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh said the government was acting fast on the incident, as the local police station Officer-in-charge was ‘closed’ and the Sub-divisional Police Officer got removed. A Special Task Force team comprising IPS officers Gyanwant Singh, Miraz Khalid and Sanjoy Singh would probe the matter. Investigation was on to ascertain if it was an accident, or sabotage, claimed Ghosh. Ghosh, however, clarified that there was a political link in the Rampurhat incident.
