In BJP's Bengal Killings Report, Mamata Banerjee Is "Mafia", She Responds

Bengal is in the grip of "mafia" led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and law and order has crashed in the state, a BJP "fact-finding team" has said on eight people burnt alive in Birbhum district last week.

The killings in village Bagtui were the result of "state-sponsored extortion, goonda tax, cut-money and tolabaji", the BJP report said, referring to terms used for bribe-taking by Bengal's ruling party leaders. The rivalry over bribe amounts between the beneficiaries was another reason, it said.

"Local residents have deserted their homes fearing a threat to their life and property," the report claimed, recommending that bodies like the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women visit the village and set up confidence-building measures to bring the villagers back.

Six women and two children were locked in their homes and burnt alive by a mob on March 22 at village Bogtui near Rampurhat town, in what was believed to be retaliation after a local Trinamool Congress leader, Bhadu Sheikh, was killed in a crude bomb attack. Charred bodies were found a day later, mostly belonging to one family.

The BJP team said Mamata Banerjee decided to visit the village only after the BJP team had already reached Kolkata. Because of the Chief Minister's "forced visit", the team was stopped by Trinamool "goons" bent on assaulting the fact-finding team.

"Not even a single officer or constable" was visible and no one came to the rescue of the fact-finding team when they were attacked," said the panel report, adding that attempts to contact senior police officers failed.

Mamata Banerjee "condemned" the BJP team's report and said such reports "interfered with investigations" and derailed them.

"These are politically motivated reports. I condemn this attitude of the BJP and the central government. When an investigation is on, there should not be any interference from any party. It is an absolute misuse of power. This is bad, vindictive and biased attitude. Does BJP think only they will stay in this country," the Chief Minister said to reporters.