Assault on ED officers sparks political duel in Bengal; BJP, Cong seek Prez rule

Kolkata, Jan 5( PTI) The assault on ED officers in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas  quarter on Friday sparked a political slugfest, with the BJP and Congress calling for  duty of President's rule, indeed as the ruling TMC  indicted the central agency  investigators of inciting locals.

  ED officers were assaulted and their vehicles damaged allegedly by  sympathizers of TMC leader Sheikh Sajahan, when they tried to raid his  hearthstone in Sandeshkhali area in connection with its  inquiry into the portion distribution  fiddle.   Sajahan is considered to be a close  assistant of state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the  fiddle.   At least two Enforcement Directorate officers suffered serious injuries and  needed hospitalisation. 

 Replying to the incident, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik said," State governments must  give officers of the central  inquiry agency proper security and other  coffers. But, that has not  happed in West Bengal. The attack on the ED officers is an attack on the civil structure of the state. ”  " The Centre has taken serious note of it, and we will also look into why  analogous incidents are  constantly  passing in West Bengal, ” Pramanik said. 

 BJP state  chairman Sukanta Majumdar wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah,  prompting an immediate National Investigation Agency( NIA)  inquiry into the assault, and the  duty of President's rule in the state.   “ As the law and order situation in Bengal has atrophied thanks to@AITCofficial post the heinous attack on the ED  officers at Sandeshkhali, I've written to theHon'ble Home Minister@AmitShahJi to initiate NIA  disquisition into the matter to  insure the safety of the people of Bengal, ” he said onX. 

  Majumdar's letter also sought the deployment of central civil forces to  insure the integrity of investigative procedures by central agencies.   Congress  chairman Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury spoke in a  analogous  tone,  professing that law and order  check to  live in Bengal under the Trinamool Congress rule.   “ We demand that President’s rule should be  incontinently assessed in West Bengal," he said.  Meanwhile, TMC minister Shashi Panja  indicted the ED officers of instigating the locals, which led to the situation. 

  “ Union minister Nisith Pramanik spoke about the attack on civil structure. The withholding of West Bengal’s pretenses  in real sense is an attack on the civil structure, ” Panja asserted.   TMC state  prophet Kunal Ghosh criticised the Congress and BJP, claiming that the law and order situation in West Bengal is much better than in other  countries. 

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