TMC delegation meets families of stampede victims in Asansol, assures help
Kolkata (PTI): A five-member TMC delegation on Sunday met the families of those killed in the stampede in Bengal's Asansol, and assured all possible assistance to them.
The delegation, led by state industry minister Shashi Panja, also extended financial help to the families.
Six people have been arrested for their alleged role in triggering a stampede on Wednesday during a blanket distribution programme of the BJP, which left two women and a 14-year-old girl dead and five injured.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who had also attended the religious event, left before the blanket distribution initiative began.
The police had said that no permission was given for the blanket distribution programme.
The Mamata Banerjee government had earlier announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation for each of the families of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Panja, during the visit, blamed local BJP leaders, including former Asansol mayor Jitendra Tewary and his councillor wife Chaitali, for the tragedy, stating that "they had distributed tokens for blankets among 5,000 people but the venue had space to accommodate just 500 people".
She flayed Adhikari for attending a religious event. "BJP leaders, in a bid to woo people and get votes, organised a programme with minimum concern for safety and security of human lives. Can they bring back the 14-year-old girl, and two other women whose deaths left their families shattered," she said.
The TMC team, also comprising ministers Babul Supriyo, Partha Bhowmik and Malay Ghatak, along with TMC state youth wing president Saayoni Ghosh, were seen consoling the relatives of the deceased.
"We are all there to help you. Our workers will be regularly on your side," Ghatak, the state's law minister, was heard telling the family members.
BJP leader Jitendra Tewary, however, criticized the Bengal's ruling party for "politicizing the incident".
"At this hour of grief, they are crowding residences of the bereaved families and disturbing their peace," he claimed.
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
