MamataChief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday referred to the incident of a gun-wielding man barging into a packed classroom of a high school in Malda as a deep-rooted conspiracy by the Centre and said that it may not be an ‘act of lunacy’.
Speaking about the Kaliaganj incident, Banerjee claimed that BJP had brought outsiders from Bihar to engineer attacks at Kaliaganj Police Station in North Dinajpur intending to disturb peace in Bengal.
“Conspiracy is being hatched for creating a disturbance in Bengal. Delhi is behind this. I do not know who is involved but it is Delhi’s conspiracy from A to Z. The man entered the classroom suddenly and threatened to hold the students hostage. Who dinned the very idea of creating such a hostage crisis in him? When somebody is caught, he is often deliberately branded as a lunatic. The teachers, the police and the scribes in Malda have acted very intelligently to avert a catastrophe,” Banerjee remarked.
She congratulated the police for tactfully tackling the incident and apprehending the man.
“I will ask the school authorities to deploy two guards and take assistance from the police to prevent similar incidents. People from outside are not supposed to enter the school premises and now there is an identity card for the students as well. The rural people are naïve by nature, he might have been mistaken as a guardian. But, in the present circumstances, we cannot take things so lightly as now it is an age of cybercrime. A phone which is a boon can also become a bane as conspiracy can be hatched by using it. So, we need to be careful,” she added.
Commenting on the Kaliaganj incident, Banerjee directed the state police to attach the properties of those involved in the arson of government property. She termed the incident as a pre-planned conspiracy by the BJP and alleged that they are getting full support from Delhi for engineering such acts in Bengal.
“There will be an investigation into the death of the girl and another probe will be held to book those involved in the attack on the police. Stones were pelted at the time when police were removing the dead body. I have directed the police not to spare anybody and arrest the offenders irrespective of party colours. They should also attach the properties of those who vandalised public property. If we do not attach the properties then such acts of vandalism cannot be curbed,” she said.
Banerjee said each police station will be given 10 bags for carrying dead bodies for necessary proceedings like inquest.
“There has been a mistake while carrying the dead body. Some cops have sustained injuries. We have already suspended four policemen and their cases will be reviewed later,” she added.
Terming the incident as unfortunate, Banerjee said WhatsApp chat has revealed that there is some love angle involved in the death of the minor.
“Let the police conduct the probe. It may not be a simple suicide case but looks like the victim had consumed poison. The police will take strong action,” she maintained.
On being questioned about the vice-chairperson of the SC Commission threatening to call the DGP, Chief Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP), DM before the Commission in Delhi in connection with the Kaliaganj incident of recovery of a girl’s body from a canal, Banerjee questioned the audacity of the Commission and said such panels are being sent to Bengal in case of minor incidents.
“Bengal is a place for education and culture. UP’s Jungle Raj does not exist here. In the Bilkis Bano case in Gujarat, the offenders have been released. But in Bengal, strong action is taken against offenders,” Banerjee said.
Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose sought a report from the state government on the Kaliaganj incident and spoke with Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi and DGP Manoj Malaviya regarding the incident. A BJP delegation also met Bose over the incident.
In another context, the Chief Minister reiterated that she will sit on a protest in front of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s house in Santiniketan if the Visva Bharati authorities try to bulldoze the latter’s house.
Banerjee chaired an administrative meeting at Nabanna Sabhaghar from where she marked the inauguration of various benefits in connection with Duare Sarkar (Government at Doorstep) programme, inaugurated some social projects, launched a mobile app for migrant workers, along with several bridges executed by the Public Works Department.