Expressing shock at the "brutal murder" of two Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders in West Bengal, a group of leading scholars and intellectuals Friday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of trying to "thwart opposition or discontent against her misrule by open use of terror and falsification".
"Like most people in India, we are deeply shocked to learn of the brutal murder of Pradip Tah (a former state legislator) and Kamal Gayen by a group of Trinamool Congress supporters," renowned economist Prabhat Patnaik said in a statement which was signed by several artists, scholars and social activists from across the country.
The intellectuals termed Banerjee's statement as 'outrageous'.
"We find it especially outrageous that the chief minister should have immediately come out to protect the murderers, so that there can be no credibility left now in the promised effort by the police to bring the culprits to book."
The intellectuals criticised Banerjee's habit of denying tragedies like farmers' suicides or condoning offences like the recent shocking rape in Kolkata.
"She is obviously set on thwarting any expression of opposition or discontent against her misrule by open use of terror and falsification," said the statement issued by the intellectuals.
The intellectuals, however, expressed their confidence that the people of the state will remain in the forefront in defending democratic rights despite all odds.
The signatories to the statement included Irfan Habib, Prof. Arjun Dev, Prof. C. P. Chandrasekhar, Saeed Mirza, M. K. Raina, Madan Gopal Singh, Ram Rahman, Sohail Hashmi, Virendra Saini, Githa Hariharan, Teesta Setalvad, Vishnu Nagar, Sashi Kumar, Madhu Prasad and many others.
The two CPI-M leaders were killed in a clash in West Bengal's Burdwan district Wednesday with the Left Front blaming the ruling Trinamool Congress for the killings. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee linked the deaths to infighting within the CPI-M.
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