NIA officials attacked villagers in West Bengal, not other way round: Mamata Banerjee

Claiming that officials of the central probe agency had barged into several houses in the early hours over an incident of 'bursting of crackers in 2022', the Bengal CM defended the villagers' response as self-defence.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee commented on the issue of NIA officials being attacked by villagers at Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district. Defending the act, the Trinamool Supremo said the villagers’ response was an "act of self-defense". Banerjee also said that NIA officials barged into several houses in the early hours over an incident of "bursting of crackers in 2022".

"The attack was not perpetrated by the women of Bhupatinagar, but rather by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team," she said at an election rally in Dakshin Dinajpur district’s Balurghat. "Will the women sit back if they (NIA) go to their houses at night? They will try to defend themselves?" she asked.

The Trinamool Congress chief accused the BJP government at the Centre of using the central agencies to win the elections. "We want the Election Commission to work impartially, not turn into a BJP-run commission," she said. Questioning the transfer of the state’s police officers by the EC, she asked why ED, CBI, and IT officers have not been changed.

"NIA, CBI are brothers of BJP; the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and Income Tax are funding boxes of BJP,” Banerjee said. Stating that while the state police look after law and order throughout the year, central forces like the BSF, CRPF, and CISF are brought in during the elections, she added, "If you (BJP) have the power, win the election by fighting in a democratic manner. Don’t arrest my booth-level workers and election agents".

Banerjee also condemned the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren by central agencies over cases related to excise policy and an alleged land scam, respectively. "There must be a level-playing field in the elections," she said.

Meanwhile, the BJP, on April 6, claimed a "state-sponsored attack" on the NIA officials in West Bengal and accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of inciting the violence to create hurdles in the 2022 blast case probe to protect those involved in the incident.

JP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "The attack on the NIA officials is Sandeshkhalli 2.0 orchestrated by the state to put hurdles to the investigation into the bomb blast case".

"It was not just a coincidence but a well-thought-out experiment. It was a state-sponsored attack on the NIA officials. The attack was organised by the ruling TMC," he charged, urging the Election Commission to take cognizance of the incident.