KOLKATA: The TMC was the only political party that was on Wednesday allowed to visit Makra village in Birbhum district of West Bengal, where the workers belonging to the ruling party had unleashed violence on innocent Muslim villagers, who had joined the BJP, killing a youth in the process. Two TMC workers were also killed in the mayhem that followed.
While the teams of the BJP, the CPM and the Congress were prevented from visiting the village, the TMC workers, flouting the prohibitory orders, went around the village waving party flags.
The police arrested the CPM team led by Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee after they tried to forcibly enter the village, while the Congress team led by President Pranab Mukherjee’s son and MP Abhijit Mukherjee was denied permission to visit the village. They then squatted on the road in protest.
“What is the Chief Minster, who is also the Home Minister, doing? I have doubts about her intentions. Why are we being prevented to enter the village, where people are being mercilessly killed?” asked Abhijit.
The BJP team too was not allowed to visit Makra village, citing prohibitory orders. The saffron team alleged that the police were hand in glove with the attackers. BJP leader Sharmistha Kar Purkayastha, who is wife of Kolkata Police Commissioner, said, “The police are acting in a partisan manner and conniving with the TMC killers.”
Majority of the villagers had fled their homes on Tuesday apprehending more violence. The villagers alleged that they were being threatened by the TMC workers. The women said the men were afraid to return to home, apprehending attacks by the police or armed TMC workers, who had rampaged the village on Monday. Meanwhile, body of Tausif Sheik, the BJP supporter killed in the attack was brought to the village after autopsy, along with that of Mozammal, the deceased TMC worker.
While the TMC claimed that Mozammel was its worker, his family said he was a BJP sympathiser.