NEW DELHI: "The carnage in Bogtui village is the outcome of state-sponsored extortion, goonda-tax, cut-money, tolabaazi and also the rivalry among its illegal beneficiaries," the 5-member fact-finding- team of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), comprising four former IPS officers, claimed in its report on the gruesome killing of nine people at Bogtui village under Rampur-haat PS limits in Birbhum district of TMC-ruled West Bengal.
The killings in Bogtui took place on the night of March 21. It reportedly followed the murder of a ruling TMC leader's murder.
The BJP’s fact-finding team, constituted by BJP headquarter, submitted its report on Wednesday to the national president of the party Jagat Prakash Nadda.
"Under Trinamool Congress leadership, Mafia is ruling West Bengal in connivance with police and political leadership. The law and order machinery has totally collapsed," the report alleged.
Sharing some of the main findings of the team, the BJP through a statement here alleged that the chief minister of West Bengal decided to visit the spot only after the BJP’s fact-finding team had already reached Kolkata and because of the forced –visit of CM, the fact-finding team was prevented and its journey was thwarted by the TMC goons bent upon assaulting the team.
“Not a single officer or constable of West Bengal police was visible. Nobody came to the rescue of the team when they were attacked and clear the passage for the committee to visit the scene of offence. Our effort to contact the DGP and other officers failed”, the report claimed.
The team in the report further claimed that it was learned that the SDPO and the Inspector of Police were present close to the scene of offence, but they did not bother to visit the spot even when they were kept informed. “They even failed to allow the fire tenders to reach the place to put off flames. Their timely intervention could have saved precious lives”, the team has stated in the report.
The team has further stated in the report that the local residents have fled away from their homes fearing a ‘threat’ to their lives and property. “In view of this, it is recommended that NHRC, National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Women and Child Rights to visit Bogtui village and instill confidence-building measures for early return of people to their respective homes in the village”, the BJP said.
The team has also recommended strongly that All India Service Officers, serving in West Bengal, be made to realize their constitutional obligations and the Centre should strongly caution them. After receiving the report, JP Nadda reiterated the mandate of the party to work for truth, justice and overall welfare of the people irrespective of caste, creed and community.
Nadda also thanked the Calcutta High Court for entrusting the Central Forensic Laboratory to collect samples and evidence from the scene of mass carnage. He also thanked the Calcutta High Court for entrusting the District Judge to install CCTV at the scene of offence and to protect the scene of offence and for ordering a CBI Inquiry into the entire incident, which was one of the fact-finding team's demands.
Brijlal-(former IPS and DGP of UP, now BJP MP in RS), Satyapal Singh (MP in Lok Sabha and former IPS served as Mumbai police commissioner), KC Ramamurthy(MP Rajya Sabha now and former IPS in Karnataka), Sukanto Majumdar(West Bengal BJP state president and now MP in Lok Sabha) and Bharati Ghosh( National spokesperson and former IPS officer of West Bengal cadre) were part of the BJP’s fact-finding team.