Birbhum arson: Mamata Banerjee visits Bogtui village, asks police for stringent action against culprits

Banerjee, who was accompanied by top police officers and her party Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal, interacted with the family members of the killed people.

The Chief Minister has offered Rs. two lakh to each family for the repairing of the houses, Rs. five lakh and government jobs to the kin of the victims and Rs. 50,000 to all injured.

"I know money and government jobs can't be a compensation. But one needs to live. For that I would offer the money as compensation," she said.

Though TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal initially rubbished the incident saying the burning took place due to "short circuit", Banerjee on Thursday acknowledged the mass killing directing police to take stringent actions.

"I had no idea that such inhuman incidents could happen in this modern world... I will direct the police to file the case in such a way that no culprit is spared.

"I don't want to hear anything (from the police). I want such a punishment that no one ever resorts to such activity not just here, but anywhere," said the Chief Minister.

What's the incident?

Deputy chief of the ruling TMC-ruled Barshal village panchayat, Bhadu Sheikh, was killed after five unidentified miscreants had hurled crude bombs at him at Bogtui village in Birbhum's Rampurhat on Monday night.

After the TMC leader's death was confirmed by a local hospital, tension erupted at Bogtui village and multiple houses in the area were allegedly ransacked and set on fire.

A state fire and emergency services official said three charred bodies had been recovered on Monday late night from a house.

Later on Tuesday morning, after dousing the blaze, firemen recovered seven more charred bodies from a burnt house.

Sources in the local hospital said there were several children and women among the victims.

A senior official of West Bengal police force said the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will investigate the matter while a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by ADG CID Gyanwant Singh has already been formed.

After visiting the scene, Birbhum SP Nagendranath Tripathi said a forensic team will investigate the cause behind the house fire, while 20 people have been arrested so far.

A senior state police official said the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the local police station and local SDPO have been 'closed' from duties.

Opposition lashes out at Mamata govt

Slamming the government, West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari sought intervention from the central government.

Adhikari has also demanded the President's rule in the state, which has been ruled by the TMC since 2011.

Condemning the police inaction in the entire incident, West Bengal CPI-M state secretary Md. Salim said, "It is a clear cut violence. A massacre. Police are in collusion (with TMC goons). In Birbhum, all attacks on the Opposition (in the past) took place under the supervision of police."

Pledging to draw the President's attention towards the incident, Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury slammed the TMC government saying, "TMC will collapse in the fire which was lit by Mamata Banerjee herself."

"The state is moving towards President's rule," he added.