Birbhum: ‘Mafia’ ruling Bengal, says BJP fact-finding team; Mamata reacts

A BJP “fact finding team” that visited West Bengal’s Birbhum district where eight people were allegedly burnt alive on March 21, said that the state, under Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, was being ruled by “mafia” in connivance with police and political leadership.

The BJP panel submitted the report to party national president JP Nadda on Wednesday (March 30). Nadda had nominated a five-member “fact finding committee” to visit the affected site – Bagtui village near Rampurhat town, to collect evidence and submit the report.

Also read: Bogtui turns ghost town as fleeing residents scared to return

MPs Brijlal, Satyapal Singh, K.C. Ramamurthy, Sukanta Majumdar, and BJP’s national spokesperson Bharati Ghosh were part of the team.

“Under Trinamool Congress leadership, Mafia is ruling West Bengal in connivance with police and political leadership. The law and order machinery has totally collapsed,” the team said in its report.

30–3-22 को हम लोगों ने राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री जे॰पी॰ नड्डा जी को ग्राम बागतुई रामपुरहाट बीरभूमि पश्चिम बंगाल में हुई नरसंहार पर रिपोर्ट सौंपी। फ़ैक्ट- फ़ाइंडिंग समिति ने वहाँ समवैधानिक दायरे में हस्तक्षेप करने की संस्तुति की।@JPNadda @blsanthosh @BJP4India pic.twitter.com/BeKyJrEHZk

— Brij Lal (@BrijLal_IPS) March 30, 2022

“The law-abiding citizens of West Bengal have lost faith in the government and the mode of governance by the TMC as officers themselves have become cogs in the TMC hierarchy,” it added.

It described the carnage in Bagtui village as the “outcome of State-sponsored extortion, goonda tax, cut money, tolabazi and also the rivalry among its illegal beneficiaries”.

Also read: Conspiracy behind Birbhum killings, says Mamata

Further, the team alleged that Trinamool “goons” stopped them and were bent on assaulting them.

“Chief Minister of West Bengal decided to visit the spot only after the BJP’s Fact Finding team had already reached Kolkata. Because of the ‘forced’ CM’s visit, the Fact Finding Team was prevented and its journey was thwarted by the TMC goons who were bent upon assaulting the Fact Finding Team.

“Not even a single officer/constable of West Bengal Police were visible, nobody came to the rescue of the Fact Finding Team when they were attacked and clear the passage for the committee to visit the scene of offence. Our efforts to contact the DGP and other officers failed,” the panel said.

According to the report, “Local residents have deserted their homes fearing threat to their live and property. In view of this, it is recommended that NHRC, National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Women and Child Rights to visit Bagtui village and instill confidence-building measures for early return of people to their respective homes in the village.”

Reacting to the panel’s report, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the “attitude” of the BJP and the central government. According to her, the report is “politically motivated”.

“These are politically motivated reports. I condemn this attitude of the BJP and the central government. When an investigation is on, there should not be any interference from any party. It is an absolute misuse of power. This is bad, vindictive and biased attitude. Does BJP think only they will stay in this country,” she said.

The Birbhum case has been taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following an order by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj.

The court had directed an SIT formed by the state government to hand over case papers and accused persons arrested by it to the central probe agency.