NIA officers assaulted villagers, not the other way around: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials of assaulting villagers in Bhupatinagar, East Midnapore district. Banerjee defended the villagers' protest, alleging that the NIA personnel initiated the attack during their investigation into a 2022 bomb blast case
FollowWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused National Investigation Agency officials of assaulting villagers in Bhupatinagar, East Midnapore district, rather than the other way around. During an election rally in South Dinajpur district's Balurghat, Mamata asserted that the NIA team had visited the villagers' homes in the early hours regarding an incident involving the 'bursting of crackers in 2022'.
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Banerjee refuted claims that women from Bhupatinagar had initiated the attack, asserting that it was the NIA personnel who were responsible. She defended the villagers' subsequent protest, stating that they reacted only after the NIA officials had visited their houses.
According to police reports, a vehicle carrying NIA officials was attacked by villagers in Bhupatinagar while they were investigating a 2022 bomb blast case that resulted in three fatalities. Following the incident, the NIA team arrested two individuals in connection with the case and faced an attack on their way back to Kolkata.
The Trinamool Congress leader accused the BJP-led central government of exploiting central agencies for electoral gains. She called for impartiality from the Election Commission, criticizing its decision to transfer state police officers while neglecting changes in officers from agencies like the ED, CBI, and IT.
Banerjee condemned what she perceived as the politicization of agencies like the NIA and CBI, suggesting they were acting as allies of the BJP. She urged the BJP to compete democratically instead of resorting to the arrest of her party's grassroots workers and election agents.
Furthermore, Banerjee criticized the recent arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren by central agencies, labelling them as politically motivated actions.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose addressed the recent attack on NIA officers as a "grave issue," emphasizing the necessity of treating it with the utmost seriousness. He expressed concern over attempts to intimidate investigating agencies, emphasizing that such behaviour reflects poorly on all involved parties.Â
Bose stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring that muscle power does not supersede legal authority. He called for a firm response to the situation, asserting that decisive action is required to address the matter effectively. Speaking from the Raj Bhavan, Bose underscored the gravity of the situation and urged for resolute measures to be taken
