2022 Birbhum violence

The 2022 Birbhum violence, also called the Birbhum massacre, happened on March 21, 2022 in the village of Baktai (Bagtui, Bogtui) in Rampurhat, Birbhum, India in the aftermath of the death of Trinamool deputy chief Bhadu Sheikh. At least four houses were set on fire. 10 people were reported killed.

Quotes

• In his speech, he commented on the Birbhum burnings while saying, “I express my condolences on the violent incident in Birbhum, West Bengal. I hope that the state government will definitely get those who committed such a heinous sin on the great land of Bengal punished. He further stated, “I would also urge the people of Bengal to never forgive the perpetrators of such incidents, those who encourage such criminals.”He assured that his government at the centre will take all necessary steps to punish the perpetrators at the latest. “On behalf of the central government, I assure the state that whatever help it wants will be provided to the criminals in getting them punished at the earliest,” he stated. In the function, Partha Chatterjee, senior state Minsiter who was present remarked on the PM’s comments saying,”The state government is duty-bound to ensure that the rule of law should take its course. The culprits will be hunted down and punished.”
  • Narendra Modi, in [1]

• “We demand President’s rule in West Bengal. Mass killings are happening there, people are fleeing the place… the state is no more liveable,” said actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly, as she expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in West Bengal. “People can’t speak in West Bengal. The government is protecting the murderers. There is no other state where the government kills people after winning elections. We are human beings. We don’t do stone-hearted politics,” Roopa Ganguly further said.
  • Roopa Ganguly, as quoted in [2]

• Taking cognizance of the violence, West Bengal CM Jagdeep Dhankar said he is considerably pained in a video address released on Twitter. “The Birbhum indicates the state is in grip of violence culture and lawlessness,” he wrote.
  • J. Dhankar, in [3]

• It’s true. This violence was unexpected. Nobody expected it. There is victory and defeat in elections, but the way violence started right from the counting centers has never been seen before. To date, this has not been seen anywhere in India. The BJP workers or even the organization were not prepared for this level of violence, this allegation is absolutely true.
  There have been attacks on our workers. Close to 50,000 workers had to be homeless. Close to 20 people were murdered. During all this, our organization could not help its workers in the slightest.
• The violence that started on the afternoon of May 2, 2021, had only one objective – to break the backbone of the BJP organization. BJP got 38% votes, the Majority of the Hindu vote was in favor of the BJP, which means the support of a large percentage of voters was with us. Therefore, the aim was to create such an environment using violence that in the future, support for BJP should be eliminated, and the backbone of the organization should be broken. The fear should be such that the supporters of the BJP do not come out of the house and the same thing happened.
  • Swapan Dasgupta, Interview 2022, :[4]