Bogtui carnage: PIL in Calcutta HC challenging state compensation

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed at Calcutta High Court, on Monday morning, challenging the state government's decision to offer compensation including state government employment to the members of the victims' families in the carnage at Bogtui village in Birbhum district of West Bengal on March 21, 2022.

Nine persons were killed in the massacre. A probe is being conducted by a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In the petition filed at the division bench of the Calcutta High Court chief justice, Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, it was alleged that the compensation and employment letters were given without following the right procedure and hence can influence the witnesses and hence can impel probe proceedings in the matter.

The division bench has directed the state government to file an affidavit within two weeks detailing the procedures of providing compensation including employment letters. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled on July 26, 2022.

To recall, after the Bogtui massacre, Chief Minister Mamata Baneerjee announced compensation and employment to the families of the victims. She announced a one-time compensation of Rs 5,00,000 to each family in addition to another Rs 1,00,000 for the reconstruction of the houses burnt down in the carnage. In addition to that she announced another Rs 50,000 for every child injured in the carnage.

On April 4, 2022, the chief minister handed over letters of employment on compassionate grounds to ten persons, all members of the victims' families. The employment was for Group D posts. For the first year, the employment will be contractual and each person will get a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000. After a year they will be made permanent.