Bengal govt orders judicial inquiry into Dinhata firing

Bowing to the demand of junior Left Front partners, the West Bengal government today ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident in which five activists of Forward Bloc, a partner in the ruling coalition, were killed in the Coochbehar district on February 5.

"A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The terms of reference and the name of the judge will be announced later," Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb told PTI. The announcement came five days after the incident.

The trouble erupted when a large number of Forward Bloc supporters tried to submit a memorandum to the Dinhata SDO as part of its statewide demonstration in protest against corruption and maladministration in panchayats, majority of which are run by Front leader CPI(M).

Three Left Front partners "" Forward Bloc, RSP and CPI "" who condemned the firing, held a meeting on February 8 and together demanded a judicial probe and punishment to all the officials involved in the incident.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had earlier ordered a magisterial inquiry.

The Dinhata killing has strengthened anti-CPI(M) sentiments among the Left Front partners, FB and RSP, who have accused the Marxist party of running the nine-party LF unilaterally, ignoring the allies on major policy matters.

The FB and RSP have been spearheading a campaign against setting up of SEZs, industrialisation on farmland displacing farmers and entry of big business in retail.

The West Bengal government has already transferred two senior police officials, including a deputy superintendent of police, from Dinhata in connection with the incident.

Reacting to the order for a judicial probe, Forward Bloc leader Naren Chatterjee said the party wanted the state government to accede to its demand for transfer of officials responsible for the firing, pending inquiry by the judicial commission.

"We want the government to accept our demand for withdrawal of false cases filed against our party leaders and cadres in connection with the incident at Dinhata. It is a shame that false cases have been slapped against leaders of a Left Front partner and its activists when the police resorted to unprovoked firing on a democratic movement," Chatterjee, chairman of the state agricultural marketing board, said.

On being asked whether FB would agree for a one-to-one talk with the main LF constituent, he said, "If CPI(M) agrees we have no problem."

"Law will take its own course," CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose, who is also the chairman of the Left Front, told reporters in his brief comment regarding the incident.

CPI(M) central committee member Shyamal Chakraborty had earlier wondered if it was legally possible to withdraw the murder charge against FB leaders for the death of a National Volunteers' Force jawan in the violence at Dinhata.