The Congress today brought out a booklet listing casualties in political violence across West Bengal in a bid to rubbish Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees claims that only five deaths took place in political clashes since she assumed office a year ago. Mamata had made the claim after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram last week expressed concern over political killings in the state. Chidambaram had said that as many as 87 deaths took place over the past year,and our chief minister said where did the Home Minister get this information from. She said only five people were killed in political clashes in the past year. Now we want to know where did she get this information from. She is trying to mislead the people of Bengal. During the last one year,nine Congress workers were killed. Supporters of other parties were also murdered in clashes, Pradesh Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said at the WBPCC headquarters. According to the state Congress,as many as 642 political clashes took place in the state ever since Mamata came to power in which 27 people were killed and 926 got injured. The party also also claimed that 56 cases of campus violence took place in which 128 students were injured. So far as atrocities against women are concerned,the Congresss report says West Bengal,with 7.6 per cent of the countrys population,accounts for nearly 12.5 per cent of crime against women. While the state recorded 2,362 number of rape cases during 2011,there were 19,772 cases of torture against women,the highest in the country,according to the Congresss booklet. The law and order situation in the state is alarming as the police is being controlled and used by the Trinamool Congress. There has to be timely,appropriate and visible action,both at the Centre and the state,to enforce impartial rule of law in the state, Bhattacharya further said. He also said he did not agree with Governor M K Narayanan who said he did not support Chidambarams claim on the law and order situation of the state. On July 5,the Union Home Minister had alleged in Kolkata that the law and order situation in the state was abysmal,a statement refuted by Mamata the same day. The Trinamool Congress also reacted sharply to the state Congresss report. Chidambaram said 87 people died but Pradip Bhattacharya said zero people were killed. Their reports have no basis, Subrata Mukherjee,Minister for panchayats and rural development,said at his office at Writers Buildings. Significantly,around 5,000 Trinamool Congress workers are reportedly joining the Congress at Panchla at Howrah district a development being seen as a reverse exodus. Baharampur MP Adhir Chaudhury,a fierce Mamata critic,will be present at the function.
