<p>A day after 33 people including 27 policemen were injured in an alleged police firing at Loba village in Birbhum district, the state administration sent a Superintendent of Police on leave and ordered an administrative enquiry into the incident.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“An administrative inquiry has been ordered into the incident and Birbhum district SP Rishikesh Meena has been asked to go on leave from Thursday," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters on Wednesday.<br /><br />Thanking the police for showing patience, Banerjee said: “There was instigation from outside. I don’t want to name anybody because I have not received the full report yet, but I can say that this is not a case of land acquisition.”<br /><br />Reiterating that facts have been distorted, Banerjee said: “Our party is not in favour acquiring land forcefully. A team led by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Surajit Kar Purakayastha, will investigate the incident.”<br /><br />“Detective department’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (special), C Murulidhar, has been asked to take charge of Birbhum for the time being,” Purakayastha said.<br /><br />However, the Opposition brushed aside the government initiatives to contain the situation as an eyewash and demanded a CBI enquiry.<br /><br />“This is just an eye wash. There was no need to open fire but the police resorted to firing and we demand a proper enquiry of the whole incident,” Surya Kanta Mishra of CPM said.<br /><br />Demanding a CBI inquiry, PCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya told reporters that it was necessary to find out whether the police were speaking the truth.<br /><br />Meanwhile, State Commerce and the Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, who reached Birbhum to supervise treatment of those injured at the Suri hospital, said: “There was no law and order problem in the area. Neither the people nor the police created disturbance.<br /><br /> It was a planned hooliganism organised by CPM and Congress goons to create problem for the TMC government.”<br /><br />The imbroglio started six months back when DVC Emta Coal Mines Ltd reached Loba for acquiring nearly 600 acres of land needed for an open cast mine. People of Loba, Palashdanga and Juprai villages drove the officials out and seized one earth-moving machine deployed by the firm. Police said when they went to the village on Tuesday to recover the equipment, following court order, the villagers attacked them. The police claimed to have retaliated in defence.</p>
<p>A day after 33 people including 27 policemen were injured in an alleged police firing at Loba village in Birbhum district, the state administration sent a Superintendent of Police on leave and ordered an administrative enquiry into the incident.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“An administrative inquiry has been ordered into the incident and Birbhum district SP Rishikesh Meena has been asked to go on leave from Thursday," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters on Wednesday.<br /><br />Thanking the police for showing patience, Banerjee said: “There was instigation from outside. I don’t want to name anybody because I have not received the full report yet, but I can say that this is not a case of land acquisition.”<br /><br />Reiterating that facts have been distorted, Banerjee said: “Our party is not in favour acquiring land forcefully. A team led by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Surajit Kar Purakayastha, will investigate the incident.”<br /><br />“Detective department’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (special), C Murulidhar, has been asked to take charge of Birbhum for the time being,” Purakayastha said.<br /><br />However, the Opposition brushed aside the government initiatives to contain the situation as an eyewash and demanded a CBI enquiry.<br /><br />“This is just an eye wash. There was no need to open fire but the police resorted to firing and we demand a proper enquiry of the whole incident,” Surya Kanta Mishra of CPM said.<br /><br />Demanding a CBI inquiry, PCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya told reporters that it was necessary to find out whether the police were speaking the truth.<br /><br />Meanwhile, State Commerce and the Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, who reached Birbhum to supervise treatment of those injured at the Suri hospital, said: “There was no law and order problem in the area. Neither the people nor the police created disturbance.<br /><br /> It was a planned hooliganism organised by CPM and Congress goons to create problem for the TMC government.”<br /><br />The imbroglio started six months back when DVC Emta Coal Mines Ltd reached Loba for acquiring nearly 600 acres of land needed for an open cast mine. People of Loba, Palashdanga and Juprai villages drove the officials out and seized one earth-moving machine deployed by the firm. Police said when they went to the village on Tuesday to recover the equipment, following court order, the villagers attacked them. The police claimed to have retaliated in defence.</p>
