Forcible cremation : Sonali Guha visits spot

COOCH BEHAR, June 30: A high-level Trinamul Congress team led by Mrs Sonali Guha (MLA) visited Dakshin Nalgram village of Sitalkuchi in Mathabhanga sub-division today. During their visit they met neighbours and other villagers to find out what actually happened with Madhabi Barman (15). After returning to Cooch Behar town, the Trinamul leaders met the district magistrate Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha and the SP Mr Anil Kumar. They demanded immediate arrest of the miscreants stated to be CPI-M activists who cremated the girl alive on 22 June.

Mrs Guha said the parents of Madhabi and her sister – Mr Lalit Barman, Mrs Banubala Barman and Sonali Barman – had to leave the village because the CPI-M goons are terrorising them after lodging of a complaint to the SDPO of Mathabhanga on 27 June. The CPI-M activists assaulted the 10-year-old brother of Madhabi –Sushil Barman – because he had disclosed to the media persons that his elder sister was alive when she was cremated, Mrs Guha alleged.

The Trinamul leader said they would submit a detailed report to party chief Miss Mamata Bannerjee and further plan of movement against CPI-M would be declared out after reviewing the report. They will raise the issue to the Assembly too, Mrs Guha said.

Mrs Guha, a close associate of Miss Mamata Bannerjee, alleged that Madhabi was cremated alive by CPI-M activists ignoring her mother's appeal and in absence of her father. No death certificate was issued after the girl's so called death, she alleged. It is not new for CPI-M, as they had burnt Tapasi Malik of Singur. The state chief minister talks against atrocities done on women but his party men made it a habit to burn girls. She recalled a past incident occurred in Mathabhanga when CPI-M activists gang-raped a housewife. That incident had rocked the state and the case of Madhabi too may rock the state once again, Mrs Guha said. []