TMC, BJP leaders visit Bogtui village on first anniversary of carnage

The ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP on Tuesday visited Bogtui village in West Bengal's Birbhum district, where 10 people died in an arson hours after the murder of a local TMC leader on this day last year.

TMC MLA Ashis Bandyopadhyay first went to the house of Mihilal Seikh who had lost his mother, wife and daughter in the fire and promised all help to the family members.

Bandyopadhyay, who was initially not allowed to enter Seikh's residence, could pacify the crowd around him and placed wreaths at the memorial for the 10 people belonging to the minority community.

''We are with the family. Our party will always stand by them. People of Bogtui won't be swayed by any campaign of the communal BJP,'' he said.

Later in the day, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari went around the village in a rally and blamed the TMC for the ghastly incident, demanding justice for the victims.

The Nandigram MLA tweeted: ''On the first anniversary of the Bogtui carnage, I visited Bogtui to participate in a silent procession and unveiled a 'Smarok Bedi' in memory of the victims.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ''apathetic silence on this day speaks volumes about her 'actual feelings' towards the Minority Community'', he said. BJP Birbhum district president Dhruba Saha went to the memorial erected opposite the one put up by TMC later. ''The deaths were engineered by the TMC's rival faction in the area and till this date, the ruling party has done little to come to the support of bereaved family. Shouldn't Ashis babu be ashamed to meet Mihilal Seikh after all these?'' Saha said.

Seikh, who later in the day prayed for his dead family members, said, ''I don't understand politics. But the TMC did nothing for me in the past one year.'' Seikh was accompanied by BJP leaders in the area.

TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that BJP was doing politics with the victims but they are not with the peddlers of divisive politics and hatred.

''TMC never interfered in the investigation of the Bogtui incident. And people of the village, as well as members of the minority community everywhere, don't believe the BJP. They believe in Mamata Banerjee,'' he said.

Ghosh added TMC observed the day in a solemn manner. At least 10 people were killed in the arson and violence that followed the murder of local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh on March 21. The CBI is probing the case on the orders of the Calcutta High Court.