West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded a high-level inquiry into a road accident in Uttar Pradesh that left the survivor in the Unnao rape case critically injured and killed two of her relatives yesterday. She also expressed concern over the murder of a retired army captain by unidentified men in the northern state's Amethi district on Saturday night.
"This is very unfortunate. I don't know what's going on in the country," Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata today. "The BJP demands a CBI or Enforcement Directorate probe into everything. Then why can't it do the same for whatever's happening in Uttar Pradesh?"
The Unnao case first came to light last year, when the rape survivor and her mother allegedly attempted to set themselves on fire in front of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence to protest against BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Sengar - who she accused of sexually assaulting her. In the days that followed, her father died in police custody after he was allegedly attacked by a group led by the lawmaker's brother and then arrested on charges of possessing illegal arms. A murder case has now been filed against Kuldeep Sengar in connection with the accident.
The retired army captain, Amanullah, was killed when he objected to a group of people trying to rob a shop next to their house in Amethi's Godiyan ka Purva village. According to the 64-year-old's wife, the accused entered his house and beat him to death.
"The BJP tries to defame Bengal every day, but is mum on Uttar Pradesh," Mamata Banerjee said. "Nobody even seems to care. Neither the state government nor the central government is doing anything against those responsible for lynching, accidents or accident-murders."
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had sent multiple advisories to the West Bengal government over political violence in the state during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, claimed that opposition leaders were receiving letter from the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate every day at the behest of the BJP-led central government. "Total fascist rule is going on. In Uttar Pradesh, they are creating communal tension. They have sent people here in the name of cow protection to create communal tension. A country can't run like this," she said.
"I appeal to the Hon'ble PM - please take care of the country. And now that you have been elected, please work for the people. That's my submission," Mamata Banerjee added.
While the West Bengal Chief Minister demanded a high-powered probe into the Uttar Pradesh accident, she maintained that it cannot be done by representatives of the government. "The high-powered inquiry should not be just for show," she said. "We cannot believe a government person when they are sending letters to opposition party members every day in the name of CBI."
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