An eyewitness to the Birbhum violence narrated the ordeal on Wednesday saying that the perpetrators came shouting "ransack the houses, kill whoever is there" and then they rampaged through the houses and set them on fire.
Speaking to ANI, Shah Alam Shaikh, an eyewitness from Bogtui village said, "During the incident around 9-9.30pm, I was inside my house. My wife and I were offering namaz. After hearing the noise, I went outside and heard people saying that the Up-pradhan was killed. We were there outside our homes when we saw a person approaching us. They were saying 'ransack the houses, kill whoever is there'. I then rushed inside the house and took our children to one room. I then kept family members locked inside the house."
"We then heard 10 bombs exploding which were hurled at houses. They ransacked the houses of those with whom they had enmity. Then they started setting all the houses on fire. No one tried to stop them. If one had tried, he would have been killed. Burnt bodies of seven people have been recovered from a house," Alam said.
Shah Alam said the perpetrators could not be identified since he was locked inside the house. He said he could only hear the voices from outside.
"It was not known who those people were. We were inside the house so we could not figure out. We could see from my house that the neighbouring houses were burning. This rampage was carried out all night. There is an atmosphere of fear and I am also leaving the house," he said.
As many as eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of Birbhum in the state on Tuesday after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress leader Bhadu Sheikh.
Director-General of Police (DGP) West Bengal, Manoj Malviya said 11 arrests have been made in the case so far. He said that Bhadu Shaikh's murder was reported last night, an hour after which 7-8 houses nearby had caught fire.
A special investigation team has been formed to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday took cognizance of the Birbhum incident.
( With inputs from ANI )
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