The kins of the deceased eight people who were mercilessly assaulted and burnt alive in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on the night of March 21 (Monday) are living under constant fear. While some had named TMC block president Anarul Hussain as the key conspirator of the attack, a few others had lamented about the alleged state police’s negligence in handling the case. Now, another kin has come forward to speak out about the threats they have been receiving, making it impossible for them to go back home.
Speaking to News 18, one Mafiza Bibi of Rampurhat, whose mother died in the carnage alleged that Bhadu Sheikh’s goons are now threatening her with life. She was quoted by the media outlet as saying, “They are saying when their people will come out of bail, they will kill us. He openly said this to me. I have complained to the police. They have said they will come.”
According to a News 18 journalist who visited the village where the heinous incident occurred on the night of March 21, this was discovered to be the villagers’ common fear. The villagers explained to the journalist why the village remains deserted, saying, “If such threats continue despite the police being stationed there temporarily, it does not give us the confidence to return to the village.”
#BirbhumViolence | West Bengal Police tries to build up the confidence of villagers after the state violence in which 8 people were charred to death.@KamalikaSengupt with a report! pic.twitter.com/9XDry3ipuy
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 25, 2022
Victim’s kin allege state police negligence, accuse TMC leader Anarul Hussain of masterminding the massacre
Notably, prior to this, Mihilal Sheikh and Banirul, two relatives of the deceased victims also alleged the state police’s negligence in handling the case. They also named TMC block president Anarul Hussain, who was later arrested, as the key conspirator of the attack
According to the victims, when the incident occurred, women and children had locked themselves in a room out of fear. The attackers were aware of this, still, they set the room ablaze. The victim’s family further claimed that not eight, but ten members of their household were burned to death on Monday night, and instead of returning the bodies to them, the police buried them in the village overnight.
The victim’s kin also refuted the allegation that the incident was an act of retribution for the killing of a panchayat official of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state.
Mihilal’s brother disputed the police version as well as the family of the slain TMC leader, who accused Mihilal, his brother-in-law Sona, and Fatikh of murdering him.
Meanwhile, a 15-member CBI team, led by deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Akhilesh Singh reached Rampurhat village in West Bengal to probe the Birbhum violence on Saturday. The team also included Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) experts from New Delhi.
On Friday, March 25, the Calcutta High Court had transferred the investigation into the violence in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, in which 8 persons were brutally thrashed before being burnt alive, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Until now, an SIT formed by the Mamata Banerjee government in the state was handling the probe into the case.
In its order, the Calcutta High Court stated, “we are of the opinion that the facts and the circumstances of the case demand that, in the interest of justice and to instil confidence in the society and to have a fair investigation to dig out the truth, it is necessary to hand over the investigation to the CBI.”
Birbhum massacre
On March 22 late-night, a group of enraged miscreants set ablaze around 12 homes which resulted in the gruesome death of eight people including women and innocent children in Birbhum’s Rampurhat. The autopsy report of the burnt bodies shows that the people were beaten before they were locked in their homes before the houses were set on fire. The massacre had taken place in retaliation of the alleged murder of a TMC leader.
