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The massacre that claimed eight lives at Bogtui village in Birbhum district on March 21 was a conspiracy to scuttle Bengal’s biggest coal mine project in the district’s Deocha-Pachami region, chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Sunday on her arrival at north Bengal during a four-day tour.
Addressing people at a government programme in Siliguri, Banerjee said, “This was a conspiracy to scuttle the Deocha Pachami project which will provide employment to 0.1 million people. Some people don’t want that to happen.”
The state has started the process of acquiring more than 10,000 acres of land for the mining project in the western part of Birbhum.
Banerjee raised questions about the ability of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was asked by the Calcutta high court to probe the massacre. Banerjee had formed a three-member special investigation team (SIT) which was taken off the case by the court.
Referring to a number of cases – such as the theft of Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize medallion from the museum at Visva Bharati in Birbhum – in which the CBI failed to make any breakthrough, Banerjee targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Was justice delivered in the Hathras, Unnao and Lakhimpur Kheri murders in Uttar Pradesh?” she asked.
Reiterating that the officer-in-charge of the Rampurhat police station and the sub-divisional police officer had been removed from duty for failing to apprehend that the murder of TMC panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh would trigger the arson at Bogtui village, Banerjee said, “The entire state police force cannot be held guilty for the mistakes of two officers.”
“Our SIT was doing a great job. It arrested 22 suspects and TMC leader Anarul Hossain. We will cooperate with the CBI but if it fails to unravel the truth and gets engaged in pleasing some people we will hit the streets,” she said.
The chief minister also accused the media of targeting her party.
“Some news channels are being paid to target us while the fact remains that those who died and those who are accused were all TMC workers and supporters. I have information that 100 journalists from national media outlets have been hired because it has been proved that only Mamata can fight the BJP,” she said.
Asking the masses to be vigilant in view of the massacre, Banerjee said: “Keep your ears and eyes open. Inform the local police station if you come to hear of any conspiracy to commit murders or create disturbance. Inform us if the police do not take any action. We will punish those officers.”
“We will soon launch a helpline that will connect you directly to the government. Those who have my number can contact me directly. No leader of our party should be involved in any corruption and conspiracy. I am giving them two months. We will take steps against those who face murder charge,” Banerjee said, warning the TMC’s rank and file.
Anarul Hossain, the TMC’s Rampurhat-1 community block unit president, has been accused as the main conspirator of the massacre by the SIT. He was interrogated for more than five hours by the CBI team on Sunday.
“I am being framed by people in Delhi,” Hossain told the media while being taken from the police lockup to the government guest house where the CBI has set up a field office at Rampurhat.
The CBI officers also talked to doctors at Rampurhat hospital who treated the injured villagers and recorded the statements of those arrested so far.
Dismissing Banerjee’s allegation on conspiracy, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “Banerjee should stop blaming the opposition parties because those who carried out the massacre and the victims all belong to the TMC.”
Hossain has been charged with murder, arson, rioting with deadly weapons and criminal conspiracy. He was arrested by the Rampurhat police hours after the order came from Banerjee during her visit to Bogtui village on Thursday.
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