Birbhum killings: Bogtui turns ghost town as fleeing residents scared to return

An eerie silence pervades Bogtui where eight people were burnt alive earlier this weekThe village near Rampurhat town in West Bengals Birbhum has become a ghost town as many residents have fled to unknown locations fearing the cycle of violence which started with the killing of local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh and led to the carnage which shocked the whole countryNot only have most residents of Purbapara where the killings took place in the early hours of Tuesday left their houses in a hurry even those of neighbouring Paschimpara and Mayerpara hamlets in the village have also followed suit The only staterun school in the locality is also nearly empty while the Anganwadi lies vacant with unbolted doorsLocked doors welcome the many journalists officials and policemen who have invaded the village A peep into the charred houses through broken window panes reveal the condition in which the escapees fled their dwellings occupied for generationsUtensils lie hitherthither on the floor clothing hang on ropes and uncooked vegetables lie scattered in the courtyard of Saddam Sheikhs house This hastily left behind house is next door to that of Sonu Sheikh whose house was burnt down and from where seven charred bodies were foundNeighbouring houses of Rezaul Sheikh Babar Alam Pintu Sheikh Nur Sheikh and Saddam Ali Mollah were found locked despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who visited the village on March 24 assuring them of full securityThe only woman seen in the vicinity cooking food is the wife of Sahe Alam Sheikh a maternal uncle of Sonu SheikhWe have no idea where they have fled to They did not have any other option Even my sons are not here They are staying at my relatives place outside the village Sahe Alam Sheikh told PTIAn eyewitness to the carnage Alam however remained tightlipped about the incidentI can only say that it was a revenge killing We have seen everything from inside our houses We ran into our dwellings on hearing a mob approaching Sonus house and hurling bombs After that I dont know anything he saidHis three sons have gone into hiding with their families and are still unwilling to return homeAlam also welcomed the Calcutta High Courts handing over the probe into the carnage to the Central Bureau of Investigation CBIThis may help the investigation he saidA huge police contingent is guarding at least 15 houses in the village which has a population of around 7000Mumtaz Begum owner of the only stationery shop open in Purbapara echoed AlamMy sons are also in hiding We dont know where all the villagers have gone I dont want to talk We are all worried about our lives said Mumtaz who has stayed back to take care of her 90year old paralytic motherinlaw Nasima BibiI pray to Allah that everything normalises My sons are outside the village Hope everything normalises soon Bibi saidHowever those who have fled the village are not very optimisticHow can we return We are scared for our lives What will happen when police leaves the village a relative of Sonu Sheikh told PTI over the phone from an undisclosed locationResidents of neighbouring Paschimpara and Mayerpara localities have also deserted their homes Erickshaw drivers the only few locals living in the adjacent areas avoid using the road through Purbapara to reach Rampurhat townNur Mohammed the teacher of the lone staterun school in the area said Very few students are turning up in the last few days Most of the families are not in the village hence the high absent rate I think this situation will continue for quite some timeThe school located in Paschimpara also has students from Purbapara and MayerparaThe Anganwadi centre located in Purbapara is also lying vacant with doors thrown open and nobody to look after itThe carnage took place after local TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh was assassinated by unknown people on Monday eveningThe incident has triggered a political firestorm in the state with BJP Congress and the Left Front attacking the ruling dispensation even as the chief minister directed the police to nab all the culprits and hand out strictest punishment to themThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever