Opposition BJP and CPM have hit out at the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal
The Opposition in West Bengal has launched a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led government over a chilling video of a man beating up two people, including a woman, on a street as a crowd watches.
Opposition parties CPM and BJP have said the video is from Chopra in north Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district. The incident reportedly took place over the weekend.
In the video, a man is seen repeatedly hitting a woman with sticks as a small crowd watches in silence. She screams in pain, but the assault continues. He then turns to a man and starts hitting him. Most members of the crowd, instead of trying to stop the assault, appear to be helping the assailant. At one point, the man grabs the woman by her hair and kicks her.
According to CPM and BJP leaders, the assailant is local strongman Tajemul who has links with the Trinamool and is known to deliver "instant justice" for local disputes. It is not clear why the man and the woman in the viral video were being assaulted. Local police have said they have registered a case and are looking for the accused.
The Trinamool Congress has said that the accused, despite whatever his political affiliations are, "will not be spared".
"What the BJP is saying is immaterial because they are politically bankrupt, they will say whatever they want to say. It's a heinous crime. The Trinamool Congress doesn't want to know who this guy is or what his political affiliations are. Whoever this guy is, the police are looking for him. The strictest arm of the law will be meted out to him. He will not be spared. He will be made an example as soon as he gets caught," said Trinamool spokesperson Riju Dutta.
Main Opposition BJP has said this is the "ugly face of Mamata Banerjee's rule in West Bengal".
"The guy in the video, who is beating up a woman mercilessly, is Tajemul... He is famous for giving quick justice through his 'insaf' sabha and is a close associate of Chopra MLA Hamidur Rahaman," Amit Malviya, head of the BJP's IT cell and the party's co-incharge for Bengal, said in a post on X. "India must wake up to the reality of Sharia Courts in TMC run West Bengal. There is a #Sandeshkhali in every village and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a curse for women. There is no semblance of law and order in Bengal. Will Mamata Banerjee act against this monster or defend him like she stood up for Sheikh Shahjahan?" He also flagged the issue to the National Commission for Women.
The BJP leader's post referred to the Sandeshkhali row during which sexual harassment, land grab and extortion allegations surfaced against local Trinamool leaders. Subsequently, a section of women alleged that the sexual harassment charge is untrue and that false complaints were filed in their names. Latching on to such statement, the Trinamool accused the BJP of cooking up an issue.
The video from Chopra was also flagged by CPM state secretary and former MP Mohammed Salim. "Not even #KangarooCourt! Summary trial and punishment handed out by d @AITCofficial goon nicknamed JCB. Literally bulldozer justice at Chopra under @MamataOfficial rule," he said in a post.
Mr Salim also said the man who shot the video has now been ousted from his home. "Such is the TMC's rule in the liberated zone of Chopra under the supervision of @WBPolice," he said. The CPM leader alleged that Tajemul is also an accused in a murder of a local Left leader.
In a swipe aimed at both Trinamool and BJP, he said that the "Suvendu model" continues in Bengal. "Murderers remain at large, travesty of justice continues in Bengal. Courtesy: @MamataOfficial & @abhishekaitc Continuation of @SuvenduWB model," he said.