M A I N   N E W S

NDA team for Central rule
Report on WB violence disturbing: Advani
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 9 — The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, today accused the West Bengal Government of not taking the alleged killing of Trinamool Congress supporters by CPM activists in Midnapore “seriously” and dubbed the order of the CID probe into the incident by the state government as an eyewash.

“The description given to me in their report by the NDA team on what they saw in Garbeta was disquietening and reflected the total indifference of the state government,” Mr Advani told mediapersons here after a five-member NDA delegation led by BJP MP Vijay Goel, which visited the violence-affected areas of Midnapore district, submitted its report.

On whether the Centre would impose President’s rule in the state in the wake of the continued “political killings”, Mr Advani said though a formal demand had been made by the NDA team, the Centre would consider “all aspects in totality” before deciding on the demand for the imposition of Central rule.

Moreover, the Home Minister said he was awaiting a response from the West Bengal Government on the advisory given by the Union Home Ministry. “We hope to receive the response in a day or two,” he said.

On the CID probe ordered by the state government, contrary to the demand for a CBI inquiry, Mr Advani said: “Normally CID inquiry is ordered in any major incident of killings. If they had ordered a judicial inquiry it would have been a different matter.”

The delegation, comprising Mr Goel, Mr Inder Singh (INLD), Mr Sanjay Nirupam (Shiv Sena) and Mr Prabhat Samantray (BJD) showed bullets, axes and blood-stained clothes which they claimed to have recovered from the massacre site.

A UNI report from Midnapore said independent inquiries by the CID and forensic experts into the alleged massacre inside a charred mud house at Anguria village had led to ample proofs of firing and bombing in the area.

The CID and the forensic unit experts told reporters here that they had got proof of a gunbattle and bombing in the house of Abdul Rahman Mullick, a Trinamool supporter and the main complainant in the case.

The investigators said though there were evidences of firing from both inside and outside the house, they were not sure of any loss of life yet.

Meanwhile, a PTI report from Kolkata said constituents of the ruling Left Front in West Bengal held an unscheduled meeting here in the backdrop of a concerted demand for Central rule.

Sources indicated that the Front discussed a strategy to counter the opposition move to put the government into trouble ahead of the coming elections.

The BJP, meanwhile, asked the Congress to clarify its stand on the current political situation in West Bengal.

“Does it feel that the situation is bad and warrants President’s rule there? And also whether the Central and State leadership have the same views about the situation”, the BJP Vice-President, Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi asked.