Homes Burnt In Bengal, 8 Charred Bodies; Governor Says “Arson Orgy”
The burnt bodies of 8 people were found this morning after houses were set on fire at a village in West Bengal's Birbhum district.
Kolkata:
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar today strongly condemned the violence in the state’s Birbhum district, saying human rights have been “decimated” and rule of law has “capsised”. Offering condolence to the families of those who lost their lives, the Governor said that the state is in a “grip of violence culture and lawlessness”. He said that he was pained and disturbed at the “horrifying barbarity” at Rampurhat in Birbhum, where eight people were burnt to death after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress leader Bahadur Shaikh. Around 10-12 houses were set on fire by the mob last night and charred bodies were recovered by the police this morning.
In a video message posted on his official Twitter account, he 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.
“This is indicative of nosediving of law and order in the state,” he said and added that the state can’t be allowed to become synonymous with a culture of violence and lawlessness.
In an apparent swipe at ruling Trinamool Congress, he said that the administration is “required to rise above partisan interests” which he claimed was “not being reflected in reality”.
“Your statements have political overtones supporting other political parties to browbeat Bengal government,” Mamata Banerjee said in response.
Nine BJP MPs from West Bengal met Home Minister Amit Shah and sought his intervention in the matter.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a report from the West Bengal government on the Birbhum incident. It has also asked the state to ensure security of common people.
The burnt bodies of 8 people were found this morning after houses were set on fire at a village in West Bengal’s Birbhum in protests over the alleged murder of a Trinamool Congress leader.
Director-General of Police (DGP) West Bengal, Manoj Malviya informed that 11 arrests have been made in the case so far.
“Today morning the bodies of seven people have been removed from the same house. Earlier ten people were said to have died. The death figures given earlier were not correct. A total of eight people have died,” Mr Malviya said.
The protests started after the body of Bhadu Sheikh, a Trinamool leader, was found on Monday, the police said.