A similar incident took place on January 5 when an Enforcement Directorate team conducting a search at Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh’s house in Sandeshkhali in the state’s North 24 Parganas district was attacked, resulting in injuries to five officials.
According to sources, the NIA had summoned two residents, Balai Maiti and Manobrata Jana, in connection with the blast that ripped apart a house in Bhupatinagar on December 3, 2022, killing three people. As they did not appear for questioning, NIA officials picked them up to take them in for questioning on Saturday.
En route, agitated villagers surrounded the NIA vehicle demanding that Maiti and Jana step out of the car. As the violence escalated, the windows of the NIA vehicle were broken, leading to two officials sustaining minor injuries, sources said.
Reacting to the alleged attack on NIA officials in Bhupatinagar, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJP’s dirty politics.”
While the TMC said that the incident could have been avoided if the local administration had been alerted, the BJP questioned the law and order situation in West Bengal.
Following the incident, the TMC and the BJP hit out at each other, with the former saying the incident could have been avoided if the local administration had been alerted and the latter questioning the law-and-order situation in West Bengal.
“It is due to Mamata Banerjee’s repeated instigation that even after the ED Officials were attacked at Sandeshkhali, the TMC Leaders could still dare to attack the @NIA_India Officers. She recently spoke ill about the NIA at the political event at Mathabhanga, in the Cooch Behar district,” Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition, said in a post on X.
BJP leader Amit Malviya also blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “West Bengal continues to remain lawless, as ever, under Mamata Banerjee’s misrule,” he said in a post on X. “This [the attack on the NIA team] wouldn’t have been possible without local police’s involvement. All criminals in Bengal, from Shahjahan Sheikh to Anubroto Mondal, enjoy TMC’s protection,” he added.
“The incident in Bhupatinagar was unexpected and unfortunate. But, behind this is BJP’s politics and motivation. As people know BJP leaders met NIA and came with list of @AITCofficial workers, so everyone knows the conspiracy. Spontaneous anger. BJP is trying to remove Trinamool workers from the area with NIA on false charges in front of the court. People were forced to protest. BJP is planning to create chaos,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
“It is a pre-planned conspiracy when a central agency goes to raid a place or conduct a search and informs the media but does not inform the local administration,” TMC leader Santanu Sen said. “The way central agencies are used against Opposition parties ahead of polls is unprecedented. If police and local administration had been informed, such an unfortunate incident could have been stopped. Naturally, it is clear that BJP wants such incidents,” Sen added.
“There is no law and order in West Bengal…even central teams are not safe here. The law and order has collapsed. We feel that Article 355 (duty of the Union to protect states against external aggression and internal disturbance) must be imposed to ensure free, fair and peaceful Lok Sabha elections,” BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said.
The 2022 Bhupatinagar blast took place in Nairabila village, killing Trinamool booth president Rajkumar Manna, his brother Devkumar Manna and Biswajit Gayen. While the police initially launched an investigation into the case, the NIA took over the probe following court orders.