Girl's death sparks Mamata to call 48-hour Bangla bandh

Kolkata, Dec 18 (UNI) Adding to the charged atmosphere over the small car issue, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today called a 48-hour statewide bandh in West Bengal on December 21 and 22 as the unnatural death of a girl at Singur tool on a political hue.

This would be the second bandh, called by the Trinamool Congress over the Singur issue and the fifth, sponsored by different outfits this month.

Speaking from the podium of her hunger strike that entered the 15th day, Ms Banerjee alleged that the teenaged girl, whose half charred body was found inside the fenced area for the Tatas' project, had been raped and murdered for being an active member of the 'Singur Krishi Jami Raksha Committee', a platform of different political parties and organisations, opposing acquisition of agricultural land.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said he had ordered a CID inquiry into the incident, though the Trinamool leader demanded nothing short of a CBI inquiry would be able to maintain impartiality and to get into the truth.

Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray said he had no information about the girl being raped and murdered, adding that the Government was awaiting the post mortem report to know the exact reason of death.

But the Trinamool Congress suspended its day-long programmes today and called the death of the teenager as a burning example of CPI(M)'s ''reign of terror.'' ''I call upon the people to join us for the statewide 48-hour bandh against the CPI(M)'s reign of terror and the way the girl was murdered. This shows how vindictive and fascist the CPI(M) and the Government is in dealing with any opposition, '' she said.

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