Bengal Governor criticises Mamata over Nandigram violence, directs her to submit action-taken report

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the 'killing' of an elderly woman in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.

Bose directed Banerjee to take immediate action and submit an action-taken report to him, a well-placed source told PTI.

In an official communication, Bose "cautioned" Banerjee to end what he described as a "blood bath" and ensure all necessary actions are taken within the parameters of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The governor expressed strong disapproval of what he termed state government-sponsored violence in Nandigram and stressed that any constitutional violations would be taken seriously, with appropriate actions to follow. The communication was sent to the state secretariat on Thursday evening.

"He directed Banerjee to take immediate action and send an action taken report to him immediately as she is mandated to do under Article 167 of the Constitution of India. Any violation of the Constitution will be viewed seriously and appropriate action will be taken. The CM should take effective action within the parameters of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)," the source added.

A woman BJP worker from the Scheduled Caste community was killed in Nandigram on Wednesday night, triggering large-scale protests by saffron party activists there on Thursday, police said.

The region, which falls under Tamluk Lok Sabha seat and is considered to be the backyard of Bengal's leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, is scheduled to vote on May 25.

As part of the protest, BJP workers burned tyres, blocked roads, and closed shops in Nandigram, alleging that TMC-backed criminals were responsible for the killing of Rathibala Arhi, a saffron party worker in Sonachura village. Police said Rathibala's son Sanjay and seven others were injured after unidentified assailants attacked them on Wednesday night.

To control the situation, police, central forces, and RAF personnel had to resort to a lathicharge to disperse the mob. One person has been detained in connection with the alleged murder.