The poignant tragedy of lynching of a Bihar police officer in West Bengal, and the resultant death of his mother due to shock, all within a day, has horrified the nation but Mamata Banerjee, the State’s supremo and chief of Trinamool Congress, is yet to react.
But the prime minister Narendra Modi did. And he did so in a rally in Bengal today.
“A mother lost her life yesterday in shock of her son’s death. Her son, a police officer who came to Bengal for duty, was lynched to death. Didi, was the police officer’s mother not your mother? Bengal was not aware of your cruelty,” said Modi, sounding anguished.
Ma, Mati, Manush (Mother, Motherland, People) is the slogan which Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee often use in its political pursuit.
Ashwini Kumar, station house officer (SHO) of Kishanganj police station in Bihar, had crossed over to Pantapada village in Dinajpur district of West Bengal, early on Saturday in relation to a theft of a motorcycle in his police circle. Ashwini was cornered by a mob who beat him up with sticks and stones and lynched him to death. On hearing the horrific killing of her son, Ashwini’s mother, Urmila Devi, passed away in her home in Purnia district. Both were cremated together on Sunday.
Bihar: Last rites of both SHO Ashwini Kumar and his mother were performed together yesterday at their village in Purnia district.
SHO of Kishanganj Police Station Ashwini Kumar was beaten to death by a crowd in Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal on April 10. pic.twitter.com/ISMWXd0MW1
— ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2021
Indeed, violence has been a recurring theme in Bengal and the nation is waking up to such incidents due to ongoing high-profile assembly polls.
During the fourth phase of the assembly election on April 10, Central Armed Police Force personnel faced an attack from a mob who tried to take away their weapons and in defence, the armed force fired, leaving four dead.
This happened after Mamata Banerjee had given a call for people to not let Central Armed Police Force personnel have their way.
During his rally, the Prime Minister also mentioned the case of a Trinamool Congress leader, Sujatan Mondal Khan, who called Scheduled Castes voters “beggars by nature.”
Modi demanded an apology from Mamata Banerjee and said such remarks reveal Trinamool’s arrogance. He further termed it an insult not just to Dalits in the State but also their icon Babasaheb Ambedkar.
“The thinking of Didi and TMC leaders is coming out in the open. A video is going viral on social media where Didi’s aide can be seen insulting the SC community. She said that the SC community in Bengal acts like `beggars.’ Didi and TMC have insulted Baba Ambedkar. You have committed a big sin by insulting Dalits,” said Modi in the rally.
The prime minister claimed his party BJP would bag a century of seats from the first four phases of the assembly elections. He claimed that “Didi’s misgovernance” would soon be over and “asol paribortan” would take place.
Further, the funds released by the Centre would reach the beneficiaries unlike the “Mamata reign.”
The remaining four phases of the Bengal assembly polls would be held on April 17, 22, 26 and 29. The results are due on May 2.
