A village in West Bengal's Birbhum district witnessed horrific violence on the night of March 21. It left at least nine people dead, including women and children, and homes were burnt down. Since then, at least 23 persons have been held in connection with the violence.
Since then, hashtags like #BirbhumMassacre and #BengalBurning have been trending on Twitter. We try and decode the incident in today's edition of What The FAQ.
How did this happen?
It started when the local panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress died after four miscreants allegedly hurled crude bombs at him on Monday night. Sheikh was taken to the government hospital in Rampurhat block but died on the way. Hours later, a cluster of houses, including that of Fatikh Sheikh and those belonging to relatives of Sona Sheikh — two of the accused in Bhadu’s murder who are now absconding — was allegedly attacked and set on fire, leading to the death of eight people.
While the charred bodies recovered from the houses are yet to be identified, police said women and children are among those killed. Meena Bibi, the wife of accused Fatikh Sheikh who succumbed to her burn injuries in hospital, is the only one to have been identified so far.
What have the authorities done?
The West Bengal government has formed a special investigation team to probe the case while the Centre has sought a report on the incident within 72 hours. A team of top bureaucrats is slatted to visit Bengal soon.
How have Trinamool Congress' opponents reacted?
A war of words erupted soon after the violence between Bengal's ruling party and its opponents. Taking to Twitter, Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, on March 22, said that the violence indicated that the "state is in grip of violence culture and lawlessness". West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in turn, asked the governor to refrain from making "unwarranted statements"
CPI(M) State Secretary Mohammed Salim said that Mamata Banerjee will have to take responsibility for the deaths. Congress President Adhir Chowdhury said that the situation in the state has been deteriorating and it's ideal for the imposition of Article 355 of the Constitution. Bengal's BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also demanded the imposition of the President's Rule in the state.
What has been TMC's response to the allegations of its role in violence?
The TMC has dismissed the allegations. The party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed that the incident was a result of a local conflict. TMC's Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal maintained that the fire may have started due to a short circuit
