Won’t allow a Nandigram in Birbhum: CM

BOLPUR: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday threw her weight behind police, justifying the arrest of the Sattor torture victim under the Explosives Act. Instead, she blamed BJP — without naming it — for all the trouble in the area, announcing that she won’t allow a “re-run of Singur and Nandigram in Birbhum”.
Mamata’s statement came on a day when BJP president Amit Shah is in city.
“If anyone is a political activist, her political affiliation doesn’t allow her to take law in her own hands,” the CM said without naming Hitunnesha Bibi, the Sattor woman who was allegedly tortured with razor blades and nettle leaves by police in January this year.
She has been under police surveillance since then. It didn’t occur to the CM how the victim could stockpile explosives at her home when the family was under constant police vigilance.
When asked how the woman could commit the crimes she is accused of when police are on duty at her home, the CM said: “So what? There may be a police camp. It isn’t possible for police to keep a tab on who all are coming to her house. How can the police ensure that her relatives staying elsewhere are not engaged in criminal activities? Police were there to provide security. They have found some reason to arrest her. What else police will do? Law will take its own course and police will do their job,” the CM said.
She was speaking after an administrative meeting in Bolpur. Replying to a question on arms recovery, the CM said: “DG is here, he has heard everything. I’ve told police to raid and recover bombs and arms from this area.”
While taking stock of law and order in the district, the CM told the Parui police officer-in-charge to take action. “The overall law-and-order situation is good. But a section of people is trying to rake up trouble,” the CM said.
Such “intrusion from outside” reminded Mamata of the stormy days of Singur and Nandigram. “A political party is hiring goons from outside, and bringing in ammunition in a bid to create trouble in the area. We won’t allow the politics of capture as was witnessed in Nandigram in Birbhum villages. Let the villages be where they are, and the people in the villages live where they did,” the CM said.
The CM’s oblique remarks drew flak from the Opposition. Actor-turned-BJP leader Roopa Ganguly warned the CM to desist from trying to snub dissenting voices. “The CM may hope that we will lose steam but we won’t. We will reach out to the victims’ families again. I would like to tell the CM that there is still time. She can reach out to the Birbhum villagers and win their hearts. She is not doing that,” Roopa said.
Calcutta high court lawyer and CPM leader Bikash Bhattacharya expressed surprise over the CM’s version of law. “Torturing a woman is law to the CM. What she is doing is actually autocracy. We won’t allow this,” he said. Congress leader Abdul Mannan remarked that Mamata has now realised what she did in Singur and Nandigram. “Mamata knows very well what she did in Singur and Nandigram. Those who opened fire are now out of government. Mamata fears that Sattor can turn into yet another Nandigram,” Mannan said.