BJP, police clash over Hindu victims’ kin who rejected state aid in Murshidabad.
Kolkata/Berhampore: Days before West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Murshidabad, a tug of war over the family of a Hindu father-son duo, who were killed by the rioters during the anti-Waqf law violence in Jangipur, unfolded between the BJP and the police.
The wives of the two slain, Haragobinda Das and his son Chandan, earlier rejected the state government’s compensation of Rs 10 lakhs each for their husbands’ murder. They however, accepted a similar amount of financial assistance from leader of the opposition, Suvendu Adhikari later.
On Saturday, the cops visited their house at Zafarabad in Dhulian to get them ready to meet Ms Banerjee during her visit on May 6 but found the house under lock and key. They learnt later that the two widows, Parul Das and Pinki Das, and other survivors had been staying at a house (BG-56) at Sector II in Salt Lake since May 2 when some local BJP workers relocated them at night.
On Sunday, the cops of Shamshergunj police station and their colleagues at the Bidhannagar East police station raided the house to take them back to the district apparently to make them meet the CM and accept the compensation from her at an event. They pointed out that Samartho, another son of Haragobinda, lodged a complaint of their abduction.
But the BJP leaders including Tarunjyoti Tiwari, Sajal Ghosh confronted the police and foiled their bid. The cops then left empty-handed. The two women later wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India at the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court about the police raid.
On the other hand, speculation is rife that the family of another victim, Ijaz Ahmad Momin, who had died in police firing during the riot, may accept the compensation from the CM. Meanwhile, two cops of sub-inspector rank at Shamsherganj police station were suspended ahead of the CM visit apparently for their dereliction of duty during the riot. They are the officer-in-charge, Shib Prasad Ghosh and his deputy, Jalaluddin Ahmed. A departmental inquiry has also been underway against them.
