Tinsukia killings a drive to eliminate Bengalis: TMC

A day after five persons were killed in Tinsukia in upper Assam the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership described the incident as a “drive to eliminate Bengalis” and said that the “politically motivated” exclusion of Bengalis from the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) was giving impetus to militants to resort to violence. TMC has launched state wide protest in West Bengal on Friday against the killings.

“A drive to eliminate Bengalis took place in Assam. Five Bengalis were murdered. According to the instructions of our Chief Minister we are taking out protest marches against the massacre in the districts of North 24 Paraganas, Nadia as well districts in the northern part of Bengal and Kolkata,” TMC secretary general and West Bengal’s Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said.

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

“The politically motivated exclusion of Bengalis from NRC is giving impetus to militants to commit such violent acts,” said Chatterjee.

He also accused the BJP government in Assam of hatching a “politically motivated conspiracy” against Bengalis in Assam in the name of NRC.

In a series of tweets late on Thursday night, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked whether the killings were the outcome of the ongoing 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,” stated Banerjee in a late night tweet on Thursday. In another tweet, she mentioned the name of a fifth victim of the killings. She has also turned her profile pictures on both twitter and facebook black in protest against the killings.

“The fifth victim in Tinsukia...Dhananjay Namashudra,” tweeted Banerjee.