West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lambasted the police for the alleged negligence that led to the Bogtui and Hanskhali incidents.
Kolkata: Pulling up the police for their “negligence”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lambasted the force and said their inaction led to violence in the state and subsequently, resulted in a loss of face for her government. Banerjee was referring to the recent law and order failures in Bogtui in Birbhum district and the Hanskhali gangrape and murder case.
Addressing an administrative meeting, Banerjee told Birbhum Superintendent of Police Nagendra Nath Tripathi, “The violence at Rampurhat would not have happened had the police reacted on time. Why did the Additional SP and the other officers not reach the spot on time? If there is an incident, they should have understood that there could be a retaliation. Because of your negligence, the state government is being subjected to loss of face.”
In the Bogtui incident, On March 21, after Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh was killed by miscreants who hurled bombs at him, his supporters went on a rampage and set afire shops and houses, including that of the alleged accused, resulting in the death of eight persons, including women and children. While a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was initially formed to probe the case, the Calcutta High Court later transferred it to the CBI.
Banerjee also came down on the Ranaghat Superintendent of Police (SP), under whose jurisdiction the Hanskhali case had occurred. On April 5, a 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gangraped by the son of a panchayat member, who is known for his allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress party, and others. Later, while speaking at an event, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had cast her doubt on the case and had sought to know if she was raped or was she already pregnant.
“How did the incident at Hanskhali occur? Why were you people not aware? Why should the government suffer for your negligence?” Banerjee asked Ranaghat SP Sayak Das.
During the meeting, Banerjee also asked the police not to look at political colours and take action against the wrongdoers.
