Bengal BJP Gives Bizarre Defence for Leader’s Role in Mob Attack, Calls It Strategy to Save Woman’s Life

Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s district president in Jalpaiguri has offered a bizarre defence for his deputy over his alleged involvement in a mob attack on a mentally challenged woman last week, saying that it was a “strategy to save her life”.

A video had surfaced showing BJP’s vice president in the district, Taramani Roy, leading the mob in Dhupguri’s Baroghoria village to thrash the woman over suspicion of child lifting. He has also been booked by the police.

But BJP’s Debasish Chakraborty said that Roy had only hit the woman to save her from the clutches of the mob.

“Sometimes you have to beat and shout at the person facing public wrath to save his/her life. This is a strategy. That day Taramani slapped the victim to save her from the clutches of the mob. This was a strategy to bring the situation under control. Taramani actually saved her life, else she could have been killed,” he said.

Chakraborty inexplicable justification has come as the BJP is engaged in a blame game with the ruling Trinamool Congress for the rising mob attacks in the state. On Monday, four women were assaulted in Godang in Jalpaiguri.

TMC leaders have alleged that BJP was provoking mob violence by spreading such rumors, while the BJP claims that the ruling party has created an atmosphere of terror.

TMC’s Rajesh Kumar Singh, who is the vice-chairman of Jalpaiguri Municipality, said that BJP has been “creating disturbance” ever since it managed to win a few seats in Dhupguri block in the Panchayat elections.

“They are spreading child lifter rumors and instigating people into mob violence. They are doing this across the country and now they are doing it in Bengal. They want to prove that law and order situation in Bengal is crumbling and BJP is the only way out. But people are not fools. They know who is behind these incidents,” he said.

Singh said that Taramani Roy’s “involvement in the mob attack” is proof that BJP supports such incidents. “This is a matter of concern for us and we have asked the local administration and our party workers to stay alert,” Singh said.

Chakraborty dubbed TMC’s allegations as baseless and said there should be a proper investigation in all the mob violence cases. “We have noticed that outsiders are roaming around in our area. We have to stay alert and we should ask them from where they have come,” he said.