New Delhi: Blaming criminals allegedly affiliated to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal for the deaths of at least eight people in a fire incident in Birbhum district, the BJP demanded a CBI probe into the matter Tuesday. A delegation of BJP leaders also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and sought his intervention. They also demanded imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal.
BJP president JP Nadda slammed the West Bengal government over the carnage. “Shocked by the death of 10 innocent persons in violence that took place at Rampurhat in Birbhum district of West Bengal. This incident proves that Mamata Banerjee government has no control over law and order. I condemn this incident in the strongest words and demand strict action against the culprits,” Nadda tweeted.
Eight people, including two children, were killed in the early hours of Tuesday after their houses were gutted in a fire at Rampurhat in Birbhum district, police said. The incident took place hours after the killing of a TMC panchayat leader Monday, DGP Manoj Malaviya told reporters in Kolkata. “Eleven people have been arrested in connection with the incident,” Malaviya informed.
Also read: Violence grips West Bengal village, 8 burnt to death
The BJP alleged that the houses of the victims were set ablaze by goons affiliated to the TMC as an act of revenge.
Meanwhile the Union Home Ministry sought Tuesday a report from the West Bengal government regarding the incident. In a communication, the ministry asked the West Bengal government to maintain law and order and ensure security of common people in view of the killings, officials said. The West Bengal government has been asked to send a detailed factual report on the killings as early as possible, they said.
In a separate development, hours after West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar described the death of eight people at Rampurhat as horrific and claimed that the state is in the grip of a culture of ‘violence and lawlessness’, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested him to ‘refrain from making unwarranted statements’.
Banerjee, in a letter to Dhankhar, said his comments are highly unfortunate and unbecoming of a person holding such a dignified constitutional post. “Your utterances and statements have political overtones which provide support to other political parties to browbeat the government,” Banerjee wrote in the letter.
