Ruckus in Bengal assembly over death of child in Birbhum, BJP stages walkout, demands CBI probe

The death of a boy child in Birbhum and the recovery of his putrefied body from a neighbour's house rocked the West Bengal assembly on Wednesday with the opposition BJP demanding a statement from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the ''collapse'' of law and order in the state.

The Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari demanded a statement from Banerjee, who also holds the home department portfolio, amidst slogans by BJP legislators against the chief minister and the TMC government over the alleged ''collapse'' of law and order'' situation.

Later on, the BJP legislative party staged a walkout from the assembly and its lawmakers sat on the Assembly staircase with posters and placards and shouted slogans against the government.

The five-year-old boy had gone missing on Sunday from Moldanga village under Santiniketan police station in Birbhum district. His body was found in the roof top of his neighbour's house on Tuesday after the locals informed the police that a fetid smell was emanating from the house. The recovery of the body wrapped in a plastic bag led to the house being ransacked by a mob, which also set fire to it. ''A few days back there was an incident in Baguihati, now this incident in Birbhum. It only reflects the collapse of law and order in the state. We want a statement from the chief minister regarding the incident,'' Adhikari said.

Adhikari said BJP wants a CBI probe into the incident as the state police and the CID are incapable of probing the incident. Two teenage boys were killed in Baguihati in the eastern fringes of the city earlier this month.

Replying to Opposition demands for a statement from the chief minister, state minister and senior TMC MLA Tapas Ray said ''BJP is trying to make an issue out of a non-issue''.

He said, ''Whatever has happened in Birbhum is condemnable. Police has taken action and investigation is on. The BJP is trying to disturb the assembly proceedings. We demand stern action against the BJP legislators''.

BJP MP Locket Chatterjee, who went to Moldanga to meet the bereaved family on Wednesday, demanded a CBI probe into the ''gruesome murder'' of the child. ''Otherwise the truth will not emerge. We(BJP) do not have faith in the state police or CID as it will not conduct an impartial probe in the TMC regime,'' she said.

Chatterjee faced protests at Moldanga and alleged that stick weilding TMC activists had prevented her car from reaching the boy's home. In protest against she sat on dharna in front of Santinikentan police station with the party workers shouting slogans like ''chor TMC sarkar aar nei darkar'' (we don't want this thief TMC regime any more). She alleged that henchmen of TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal, who had been arrested by CBI in the alleged cattle smuggling scam, were behind the protest against her. ''All I wanted to do is meet the parents of the little child and be on their side. What is the reason behind preventing me? Whom does TMC want to shield?'' she said.

A district TMC leader said Chatterjee was doing ''cheap politics'' on the tragic death of a child which was being investigated by the police.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh later said ''BJP has developed the habit of asking for CBI probe in each and every incident which is absurd.'' PTI PNT SUS KK KK KK

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)