West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that she would visit violence-hit parts of Murshidabad district in the first week of May to assess the situation. Before that, she will be visiting Digha to inaugurate Jagannath temple.
Reiterating her charge that “outsiders” were involved in the violence that took place during protests against the Centre’s new Waqf law, the chief minister said that her government would “soon expose the conspirators” behind the riots.
“The violence was unfortunate. We do not want riots. Some outsiders orchestrated it, but we will expose them and their conspiracy,” the chief minister said at an administrative programme in Paschim Medinipur.
“I have promised the families of those killed in the violence to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each. We will also rebuild their houses under the ‘Banglar Bari’ scheme,” the CM said.
“Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has been tasked with assessing the extent of the damage to shops and houses that were looted. We are conducting a survey,” she said, adding, “after the inauguration of the Jagannath temple in Digha, I will visit Murshidabad in early May. You can trust this much and be rest assured”.
Furthermore, she stated that the state government would bear the educational expenses for the children of those killed in the violence. “Our MPs have also told them (the families of the deceased that if necessary, the government will take responsibility for the education of their children,” she said.
At least three persons, including a father-son duo, were killed in the violence on April 11 at Suti, Samserganj, and Dhulian areas of Murshidabad.