Tehatta firing ‘undesirable’, CM calls for peace

20 December 2012

biswabrata goswami
TEHATTA, 20 DEC: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today described the Tehatta police firing, where one person was killed and two others were injured, as “undesirable” and asked residents to live altogether in peace.
“I have come here to stop the recurrence of such incidents. Investigation into the firing is going on and the guilty will be punished,” she said at a mass rally here.
She announced that she has handed over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the wife of the deceased and a job of police home guard to the victim’s next of kin.
The injured were also given compensation to the tune of Rs 25,000 each and Miss Banerjee assured that she would extend her government’s assistance to their families as well.
On 14 November, trouble had broken out after police refused to allow a Jagaddhatri puja at a particular spot. They had initially lathicharged and then opened fire after a mob hurled brickbats and torched two police vehicles.
While talking about the "undesirable" incident, Miss Banerjee also spoke strongly against the "politics of communalism" and said her government would sternly deal with any attempt to foment communal trouble in the state.
“When I was walking along the street from a place five kilometres away from the rally ground, I talked with two families ~ one Muslim and another Hindu. I wanted to know the real fact behind the incident was,” she said adding that every one should hate the riot.
Accusing the Centre for not co-operating with her government, Miss Banerjee said: “The Centre used to help the previous CPI-M government in our state, but not helping our government. It had allowed it to borrow money indiscriminately for which our government is now facing an acute financial crisis. Our money is being used to repay the huge loan taken by the previous government and the Centre is trying to block all avenues to get loans. Still, we are not helpless. We are working hard for the people of Bengal. I have settled the Junglemahal problem. The crisis in the Darjeeling Hills is also over and I had promised to create 10 lakh job opportunities in our five-year tenure in the government and already more than two lakh have been created,” she said.
She said: “I won’t accept any advice either from the CPI-M or from the Congress. Similarly, I won’t accept any advice from the BJP. I would rather listen to the advice of the common people.”
Miss Banerjee reached Krishnagar, Nadia, last night and held meetings with her party MLAs and leaders. Today, she addressed the rally where more than a lakh people gathered. As many could not enter the Tehatta High School ground, they stayed on the roads, leading to an acute traffic jam.