Kolkata . West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday ordered the arrest of local Trinamool Congress leader Anirul Hussain, accused of involvement in the massacre, after eight people were killed in violence that erupted after the killing of a panchayat sub-pradhan in Baguti village of Birbhum district. Also, reprimanded the local police for not taking timely action. Mamata Banerjee visited the site of destruction and ordered the arrest of Anarul Hussain, the Trinamool block president of Rampurhat-1. Hussain was taken into custody three hours after he gave his order.
In her statement at the spot, Mamta said, “The families of the victims said that they had called up Anirul and asked him to send the police to Bagtui, but he did not do so.”
“I want him to be arrested. He may surrender, but I want to see him arrested immediately,” she told Director General of Police Manoj Malviya in Bagtui.
Hussain is the first Trinamool member to be put behind bars for the horrific violence that allegedly led to the murder of Bhadu Sheikh, a local powerful panchayat sub-pradhan.
Hussain, a resident of Sandhipur in Hooghly district, is said to have started his political career with the Congress. Before joining politics, he used to work as a mason.
In the Trinamool Congress, he is said to be known for garnering grassroots support for the party. He is the Block President since 2018.
Mamata Banerjee also criticized the local police for not acting in time and said the problem could have been avoided had the police responded to the call.
“If the police had gone to the spot immediately, the incident could have been avoided. They did not fulfill their responsibility. Action should be taken against those who deliberately did not perform their duty,” the chief minister said.
Mamata Banerjee, however, denied the involvement of outsiders in the violence.
He said, “Police is probing the matter from all sides. They are probing who was involved. Was it a local matter or outsiders were also involved, the police will have to probe all angles.”
“The Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) knew what was happening, the Inspector-in-Charge (IC) knew what was happening… but he did not take any action,” he said.
“There is a big conspiracy here. I want continuous police picketing here,” Mamta said.
Both SDPO and IC have been suspended.
There is speculation that Birbhum Superintendent of Police Nagendra Tripathi may be suspended soon and Dhritiman Sarkar, who is currently posted in Bankura, may take charge in Birbhum.
—AnyTV News
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