Nazi style killing of eight innocent people in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, that happened on 21 March (last Monday), is a stark reminder of the appalling barbarity human beings can stoop to. Equally appalling was the State’s stoic silence even when six women and two children were charred to death in a locked room. The police station was merely 2 km away. The High Court of West Bengal has ordered a CBI inquiry and one hopes that justice would be done. However, one can’t help discussing certain things that have become symptomatic of the State.
Has the State slipped into utter lawlessness and the bottomless pit from where recovery is a pipe dream? Has West Bengal not become a victim of Trinamul Congress’ crime syndicate preventing normal existence in the State for businesses or other economic activities? Being a border state, is it not essential to bring the State under the Central rule, correct the anomalies to ensure that the Government is run as per the constitution and then allow democracy to prevail.
Particularly painful is the silence of the secularist gangs that would have unleashed all their weapons if the same incident had happened in a BJP-ruled State. Death to them does not matter much unless it has a political potential. They are silent since they are unable to build a narrative to defame Hindus. Why none of the members of the Azadi gang sat on dharna to get justice to hapless victims?
They know they cannot do so because Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, is an important member of the anti-BJP brigade. Talking about human rights, rights of women and children would put her on the mat. They would go to Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh or Karnataka to oppose any slip on the part of the State Governments since this would suit their political narrative. They are experts in doing politics over the dead. It is surprising that nobody is sitting on dharna to get justice to hapless victims. The Congress, for the record, has demanded action from the Centre but failed to press for dismissal of the Government. Rahul Gandhi is not seen anywhere.
The ideologue of farmers’ agitation that opposed three farm laws has admitted that their job was to create a pitch to enable Akhilesh Yadav to bowl out the Yogi Government. Those mercenaries who tweet support sitting outside should know what injustice they have committed. The sinister plot is out and the design has been defeated.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar criticised the incident as “horrifying violence and arson orgy”. He said in a tweet: “Horrifying violence and arson orgy in Rampurhat, Birbhum indicates State is in grip of violence culture and lawlessness. Already eight lives lost. Have sought urgent update on the incident from Chief Secretary. My thoughts are with the families of the bereaved.” When Banerjee objected and described his statement as “unwarranted”, the Governor said he “cannot fiddle in Raj Bhawan and be a mute spectator”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown his abhorrence to the incident and hoped that strong action would be taken against the guilty.
“Mein asha karta hoo ki rajya sarkar Bangal ke pavitra dharti par aisa jhaganya paap karne walon ko jaroor saza dilai gi (I hope that the State Government will certainly act and punish those responsible for such heinous crime in the sacred land of Bengal)”, he said while asking people never to forgive those who ‘encourage’ such elements.
The High Court of West Bengal has ordered a CBI inquiry and asked the Special Investigation Team to handover the case to the CBI with immediate effect. This has increased hopes that justice would be done. Banerjee has already tried to undermine the inquiry saying the CBI would act as per the BJP’s diktat. She conveniently forgot that it is a Court monitored inquiry to create faith in the system that has been failing to deliver justice.
A State police inquiry would not have evoked trust since the State police is not above board. Some reports suggest that the gory incident happened because of rivalry of two groups on Tolabaji. Tolabaji is the illegal money or extortion done by TMC’s goons from businessman operating in the area. This also comes in the form of cut money collected by TMC workers that sustain their operations and run the party.
Media reports suggest that TMC leader and deputy chief of TMC-controlled Barshal village panchayat, Bhadu Sheikh, was killed on 21 March by his rival group within the TMC. This falls in the Rampurhat Block of Birbhum district. Later his gang people retaliated by setting several houses in Bogtui village on fire in which right people were charred to death. The victims were first beaten up before being locked in the house so that they could not come out.
What was the police doing? The distance from Rampurhat Police Station to Bogtui village is merely 2.5 km which means a distance of less than 10 minutes. They must have come to know of what was happening? Did they not act in time since it involved intra-fight within the TMC? The chief minister certainly found something missing or she would not have suspended the Sub Divisional Police Officer of Rampurhat and also the Inspector in Charge for “negligence of duty”.
But this is not strange considering that the police and state administration are in connivance with the TMC workers in the sense that Tolabaji or cut money is being taken in broad daylight. Everyone knows about this but none speaks for the fear of the TMC. How can you implement law and order if such is the level of rot in the system? The State has been hijacked by goondas who make money by creating private toll booths on roads and act as cadre of the TMC in times of need. Their activity would be safe till she continues winning.
Law is made particularly to give safety and security to the weak. The Government has the police, various other institutions and the Army to make its writ run without being challenged. The common man votes for a government and expects peace and good governance as return gift from those in power. Can Banerjee claim to have acted as per this mandate?
Use of violence to create fear and seek political submission means you have failed in winning hearts and minds of people. The Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) used it scientifically in the name of removing inequalities. They justified political violence and did not allow activities by other political parties. Banerjee emerged as a challenger and the Left front fell like a pack of cards. But she used the same technology that was used by the Left Front. Overnight the Marxisst goons became TMC goons and the system continues as it was.
The State has gained notoriety for political killings and violence. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said more than 300 BJP workers were killed in the State. The spate of violence continued in the form of punishment killings after the assembly polls. BJP workers were killed for opposing the TMC and fear of reprisal forced more than 80,000 people to flee their villages. Their houses were burnt. Spate of violence was witnessed during the local elections in February.
The Supreme Court of India has passed a damning indictment against the State Government terming the State as “dysfunctional” when in 2018 about 34 per cent of Panchayat seats went uncontested. The Court held that “the constitutional mandate for democracy at the grassroots level appeared to be not working in the state”.
The writer is the author of “Narendra Modi: the GameChanger”. A former journalist, he is a member of BJP’s media relations department and represents the party as spokesperson while participating in television debates. The views expressed are personal.
Particularly painful is the silence of the secularist gangs that would have unleashed all their weapons if the same incident had happened in a BJP-ruled state. They are silent since they are unable to build a narrative to defame Hindus. Why none of the members of the Azadi gang sat on dharna to get justice to hapless victims? They know they cannot do so because Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, is an important member of the anti-BJP brigade.
