Tinsukia killings ominous for country: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses the gathering during the inauguration of Goddess Kali Puja, ahead Kali Puja festival, in Kolkata on Friday. PTI

Raising her pitch over the killing of five people in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that efforts to drive out Biharis from Gujarat and Bengalis, Biharis from Assam are an ominous sign for the country.

The chief ninister in a series of late-night tweets on Thursday asked whether the killings were an outcome of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) operations in Assam.

“ I can not understand why such poor and helpless people (are coming under attack). In Gujarat there is an effort to drive out Bengalis and in Assam to drive out Bengalis and Biharis. This is an ominous sign for the country which is making us apprehensive,” said Banerjee at an event in Kolkata on Friday.

She further alleged that Central agencies are forcing people to include members of RSS into their organisations. “ Agencies are being used to intimidate people. Many are telling me that they have got calls from agencies asking them to include RSS members into their organisations,”’ said Banerjee.

The chief minister also said the killings were a result of NRC operations in Assam.

“Terrible news coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia and the killing of Shyamlal Biswas, Ananta Biswas, Abhinash Biswas, Subodh Das. Is this the outcome of recent NRC development,” tweeted Banerjee. In another tweet she mentioned the name of a fifth victim of the killings.

“The fifth victim in Tinsukia...Dhananjay Namashudra,” tweeted Banerjee. She demanded swift punishment of those involved in the killings.

Following her tweets TMC held statewide protest demonstrations against the killings in Tinsukia on Friday.

Protests were held in Kolkata and the districts of North 24 Paraganas, Nadia as well as those in the northern part of West Bengal.

Earlier in the day TMC secretary general and state’s Education Minister Partha Chatterjee alleged that the incident in Tinsukia was the outcome of a drive to eliminate Bangalis.

“A drive to eliminate Bengalis took place in Assam. Five Bengalis were murdered.,” said Chatterjee.

He further alleged that the “politically motivated exclusion” of Bengalis from NRC was giving impetus to militants to resort to such violence.

State Congress president Somen Mitra said that “people had forgotten about ULFA. With the provocation of the state government (of Assam) and the help of RSS and Bajrang Dal such kind of regionalism is once again raising its head in the country.”