Two groups of villagers waited for hours before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came to Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Thursday.
While the relatives of Bhadu Sheikh, the Trinamool Congress deputy pradhan who was killed on Monday, returned to the village and waited outside their house in a tent that was erected by the government, another group of people, relatives of the eight people who were burnt to death following the Trinamool Congress leader’s murder, waited, about 100 meters away in front of the house where women and children were charred to death.
On the road approaching the village, a grand gateway and cutouts welcoming the Chief Minister were erected. Photographs of the Chief Minister and the local MLAs were displayed and some flags of the State ruling party were also put up. Water tankers sprinkled water to clean the dusty village road.
Compensation
Ms. Banerjee inspected the houses burned down in Monday’s violence and said, “ I condemn both the murder and burning people to death”. Surrounded by the families of those who died in the fire, she announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh per affected family and ₹2 lakh to each family for reconstructing their houses that were burned down. She also promised jobs to a member of each affected family.
While relatives of the deceased women and children, including Mihilal Sheikh who lost his wife and child, continued with their demand for justice and pressed for action against the perpetrators of the crime, the Chief Minister blamed Trinamool Congress block president for Rampurhat Block I Anarul Hossain.
. “Anarul must be arrested. When the public wanted him to call the police he did not. All this could have been avoided if the police had picketed the place in time,” she stated. Soon after the Chief Minister’s announcement, the TMC leader was arrested from Tarapith less than 10 km from the village.
Role of police
The Chief Minister came down heavily on the local police, particularly the SDPO (sub-divisional police officer) and the IC (inspector in charge). “They saw that a murder has taken place and they could have taken necessary precautions, but they did not. If they had done their job properly, then this would not have happened. Those who did not carry out their responsibilities, I want them to be punished. The case must be created in such a manner that there is no scope for relief,” she observed.
The villagers have been raising questions on the role of police, as the house of SDPO is just a kilometer away from the house of Sona Sheikh, where seven people were burnt to death. While the police reached the spot where Bhadu Sheikh was killed outside the village, there was no police intervention in the village, where eight people, mostly women and children, died after houses were set on fire till the next morning.
Another startling allegation was made by the family of those who died in the fire that the women were attacked and tortured before being killed. The results of the post-mortems are awaited and 22 persons have been arrested so far in both the cases that include the murder and subsequent violence.
The Chief Minister also continued with her allegations of the incident being the result of a “ very big conspiracy”. She directed the police to ensure that the villagers who had fled the village return under police protection. She also visited the Rampurhat Sub-divisional hospital to check on the five people who were admitted there with burn injuries and also announced compensation.
Killed for refusing to ‘share’
For the locals who have fled the village, leaving their cattle and poultry behind, the challenge is not only to return home but also to ensure that they are not identified with either of the two factions whose differences led to the violence
‘Only one party here’
“We are not with any group. There is only one party here- the Trinamool Congress, and both Bhadu Sheikh and Sona Sheikh were associated with it,” Morjina Bibi, a villager said. She urged the administration to ensure that the villagers lived peacefully. People of Bogtui talk about the good relations between Bhadu and Sona Sheikh till a dispute over a “share of proceeds” led to the fallout. “Those who killed my son wanted a share, everyone these days wants a share,” Marafat Hussain, father of Bhadu Sheikh, said. The old man did not specify about the share of what proceeds he was referring to.
The Chief Minister was careful about the reachout to both the factions. While interacting with villagers, she kept saying that compensation would be given put to Bhadu Sheikh’s family. But when she did not turn up to meet the relatives of the deputy pradhan, they were visibly upset.
“ I think I will consume poison,” Marafat Hussain, father of Bhadu Sheikh, muttered and the slain TMC leader’s wife refused to speak to anyone. The other group of villagers whose relatives were burnt to death held posters soon after the Chief Minister left. “ Doshider Sasthi Chai ( Punishment for the Guilty)”. Women who lost their sisters and mothers cried aloud, saying the compensation was not enough and Ms. Banerjee did not listen to them.
The divide created by the violence runs deep at the village.
