A massive fire that gutted dozens of shops in Khejuri area in Purba Medinipur has ignited a war of words between the ruling BJP and Opposition TMC, with the latter calling it a “barbaric act of state-sponsored arson” and the former calling for a fact-based approach.
According to police, the fire broke out late Saturday night in the Nichkasba GP of Hijli Sharif. Fueled by strong sea winds, the fire tore through a cluster of temporary stalls, destroying between 50 and 60 shops overnight. Though initial rumors circulated regarding an LPG cylinder blast, officials have found no evidence to support that claim.
“What unfolded in Khejuri’s Nichkasba GP, Hijli Sharif is nothing short of barbaric. Over 60 shops were torched by BJP-backed miscreants, destroying the livelihoods of innocent people overnight…Hindu-owned shops, Muslim-owned shops—it made no difference. This was not an attack on any one community; it was a calculated assault on Bengal’s social harmony,” TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote on social media.
Local authorities and BJP representatives have urged for a fact-based approach.
Local BJP MLA Subrata Paik dismissed the allegations of arson, pointing to the early findings of the investigators.
“Early findings show a short circuit caused the fire. However, we demand a full police probe to ensure the facts are clear. Let the police investigate the exact cause,” he told reporters.
Preliminary police reports indicate that the fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit, rather than sabotage or an explosion, officials said.
Meanwhile, the body of a man was found in Hooghly district on Sunday, with the TMC claiming that he was a party panchayat member and alleging that the number of post-poll violence deaths of its workers in West Bengal went up to six.
Sharing a picture of a blood-splattered body on its social media site, the TMC claimed the deceased was Sahadeb Bag, a member of Nokunda gram panchayat under Goghat 1 block.
The Goghat unit of the BJP said none of its workers was involved, and Bag was either killed due to personal enmity or by his own rival party faction.
(With PTI inputs)