Probe of Thakurnagar incident during Abhishek’s visit: HC orders to form SIT

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has ordered the Director General (DG) of state police to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Thakurnagar incident during the visit of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and release those on bail who were arrested.

The BJP MP and Union Minister of State for Shipping, Shantanu Thakur had moved the court on Monday alleging that a group of TMC leaders led by Abhishek Banerjee created a ruckus at the premises of the temple of Matua leader Late Binapani Devi at Thakurnagar on June 11, thus desecrating the sanctity of the temple. He had alleged that the district police administration acted against the disciples of the temple, who were allegedly heckled by the ruling party supporters. He had filed the petition at the High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha.

The court on Tuesday ordered the DG Police to immediately form an SIT to probe the matter. The court also ordered that the investigation needs to be led by an officer of ADG rank. Further, the ones arrested need to be released on bail while CCTV footage from the temple and Chandpara Rural Hospital need to be collected. The court has said that the complaint of the complainant needs to be registered as an FIR.

On June 11, a ruckus unfolded at Thakurnagar, North 24 Parganas over the visit of Abhishek Banerjee. A section of the Matua community led by Thakur staged protests in the morning, raising slogans of ‘Go Back Abhishek’. Banerjee was supposed to visit the main temple in the area to offer prayers but Thakur put a lock on the temple to stop Banerjee from entering. Abhishek reached Thakurnagar later and offered his prayers at another temple amid much chaos as a scuffle ensued between two sections of the Matua community with one supporting the TMC, and the other, BJP.

Banerjee had said: “Shantanu Thakur along with his goons forcefully locked up the main temple and began staging a protest. They had about 250 supporters and I had around 5000 supporters. We could have easily broken down the door to enter the temple but this is not a place to show one’s strength. Being a temple, anyone can come here. Shantanu Thakur must not treat it as if it is his forefather’s property. What he did today was an insult to Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur who were social reformers and fought against discrimination.”

TMC had alleged that the BJP goons surrounding Thakur assaulted four TMC women workers who had to be hospitalised. One of the victims was identified as Ila Bagchi. The allegations were corroborated by a temple priest from Shreedham Thakurnagar Thakurbari.