MHA seeks report from West Bengal govt on killing of 8 people in Birbhum

The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday sought a report from the West Bengal government after eight people were found burnt to death in Birbhum district, officials said.

The move came after a nine-member delegation of BJP MPs from West Bengal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought his intervention and action against the perpetrators of the crime.

Sources said a fact-finding central team may be sent to the state soon to assess the situation, but there was no official confirmation about it yet.

In a communication, the ministry asked the West Bengal government to maintain law and order and ensure security of common people in view of the killings, officials said.

The state government has been asked to send a detailed factual report on the killings as early as possible, they said.

Eight persons, including two children, died in the early hours of Tuesday after their houses were gutted in a fire in Rampurhat in Birbhum district, police said.

The incident took place hours after the murder of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader on Monday, DGP Manoj Malaviya told reporters in Kolkata.

Malaviya said seven charred bodies were recovered from one of the burnt houses, while one injured person died in hospital.

The nine-member delegation of BJP MPs, in a memorandum to the home minister, alleged that the post-poll violence in West Bengal has been continuing unabated and the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated.

The Trinamool Congress won the West Bengal assembly elections held in April 2021. The BJP was the direct challenger to the ruling party in the state.

Referring to the Birbhum incident, the MPs claimed that 10 people were burnt to death following the killing of the Panchayat Up-Pradhan (deputy head) in the area.

They urged Shah that a strong note should be taken of the fact that the panchayat leader was killed in a bomb attack.

"The increasing use of explosives and firearms points towards terrorists being actively used by the TMC to settle political scores and to spread terror among the common citizens, the MPs told the home minister.

The MPs urged Shah to take cognisance of the rapidly deteriorating law and order situation in the state and take appropriate action as required to bring this spate of violence under control.

We cannot allow the lives of our citizens to be put at risk under increasing political terrorism in the state any more. We will remain grateful for your timely intervention, and strictest of actions against the perpetrators, the delegation said.

The MPs also apprised the home minister about the political violence which took place in West Bengal in the recent past. They alleged that over 50 BJP supporters were killed by TMC goons in the state after the 2021 assembly polls.

The MPs claimed that there was an attempt to kill BJP MP from Ranaghat constituency Jagannath Sarkar on March 19.

"Political terrorists backed by the ruling party hurled bombs at him. Thankfully he escaped the attack unharmed. On March 15, intra-party rivalry saw the killing of newly elected TMC councillor Anupam Dutta in North 24 Parganas and Congress councillor Tapan Kundu in Purulia, they said.