Arson kills 8 people in Bengal; Cops deny political rivalry | Top points

A total of eight people died after their houses were set on fire allegedly to exact revenge over the murder of a political leader. However, the state police have denied the claims.

Several people were left dead in West Bengal's Birbhum after 10-12 houses were set on fire on Tuesday, March 22, to exact revenge over the murder of a political leader. Soon after the incident, the state government took steps to identify the culprits.

Here's the chain of events so far:

1. The Trinamool Congress's panchayat leader, Bhadu Pradhan, was killed in Birbhum's Rampurhat on Monday when some miscreants hurled crude bombs at him. Locals said Pradhan was near State Highway 50 when the miscreants hurled crude bombs at him. He was rushed to Rampurhat Medical College, where he was pronounced dead.

2. Early on Tuesday, several houses in the same area — Rampurhat — were set on fire by some miscreants. Local sources said they were set on fire to avenge Bhadu Pradhan's murder. The doors were locked from outside before the houses were set afire.

3. A total of 8 bodies have been recovered. "Seven of the bodies were retrieved from a single house," ANI quoted fire officials as saying.

4. Taking cognisance of the incident, the state government has formed a three-member special investigation team, comprising senior officers Gyanwant Singh, Miraj Khalid, and Sanjay Singh. The officer in charge of Rampurhat Police Station and the SDPO have been suspended.

5. Bengal DG Manoj Malviya said: "A total of eight people have died [in the fire]. This doesn't appear to be the result of any political rivalry."