At least 10 burnt Alive After Murder of Panchayat Leader in West Bengal
At least 10 people were burnt alive in West Bengal’s Birbhum district after a mob set their houses on fire. An investigation has been initiated by police into the matter.
According to fire department officials, the incident took place after the alleged killing of a Trinamool Congress leader who served as the panchayat leader in Birbhum.
After the killing of the TMC leader, 10 to 12 houses have been set on fire late last night by an irate mob in the Bogtui village on the outskirts of the Rampurhat town.
According to reports, 10 bodies have been recovered so far, out of which seven charred bodies were recovered from a single house.
The body of Bhadu Sheikh, the TMC panchayat deputy chief of Barshal village, was found in the area on Monday, police said. Further investigation is underway in the matter.
While the incident was alleged to be the fallout of rivalry between two factions of the ruling party, TMC General Secretary Kunal Ghosh tweeted saying that the incident has nothing to do with politics.
“Deaths of the locals in fire incident is sad. But this incident has no political connection. This is a local village dispute. The panchayat deputy chief who was murdered was a well-known person and his death has angered the villagers, leading to the violent protest. The fire incident took place at night but cops and fire brigade took immediate action," Kunal Ghosh said in a tweet in Bengali.
A Birbhum district police officer said Bhadu Sheikh’s brother, Babar Sheikh, was shot dead a year ago in the same village.
Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has formed a three-member special investigation team to probe the death of seven people who were allegedly set on fire.
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