NCW takes suo motu cognisance of minor girl killed in Bengal's Kaliganj

Kolkata, June 24 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW), on Tuesday, took suo motu cognisance in connection with the death of a 13-year-old girl in a bomb blast at Kaliganj in West Bengal's Nadia district.

The victim's family members and the local people have alleged that the minor girl, Tamanna Khatun, was killed after getting hit by splinters of a bomb that was hurled during a victory procession of the ruling Trinamool Congress to celebrate the victory of the party candidate Alifa Ahmed in Kaliganj bypolls, the results of which were declared on Monday.

The NCW member Archana Majumdar told media persons on Tuesday that the commission after taking suo motu cognisance in the matter had sought answers to some queries from the Krishnanagar District Superintendent of Police, Amarnath K, under whose jurisdiction Kaliganj comes.

The first query, according to Majumdar, is whether the district police made adequate security arrangements over the victory procession of the Trinamool Congress on Monday.

The second query, she added, was on whether there was not any intelligence input over possible violence in connection with the victory procession and whether any person present there was carrying firearms or bombs.

"The commission had sought answers to the queries within the next 72 hours. A minor girl was killed just over a victory procession. The police should take responsibility for the tragedy since surely there were flaws on part of the police administration. That is why the commission had placed some queries before the Superintendent of Police. He should answer," Majumdar said.

Earlier, in the day, Krishnanagar District Police issued a statement claiming the arrest of four persons in connection with the case.

However, it neither confirmed nor denied the allegations that Tamanna was killed after getting hit by splinters of a bomb that was hurled during the victory procession of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

After the tragedy on Monday afternoon, the victim's mother, Sabina Yasmin, told media persons that the bombs were hurled targeting their residence by known local political leaders associated with the Trinamool Congress.

She also said their residence was specially targeted because of her family's long ideological association with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

"I have seen those who hurled the bombs. I know their faces, and they are associated with the Trinamool Congress. My family had been active supporters of CPI-M," she added on Monday.

BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, condemned the tragedy and said that this was the "blood price of Mamata Banerjee's violent, votebank-driven politics".

--IANS

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