'Victims' of Mamata government knock on centre's doors

A forum of "cheated, oppressed and attacked" people in West Bengal said Monday they have lost faith in the "defunct" Mamata Banerjee government and have knocked on the doors of the central government seeking justice.

Besides holding a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar Tuesday, the members of the Aakranta Aamra (We the Victims), that include Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra among others, sought appointment with President Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The forum Monday submitted memoranda of its demands to the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Minorities.

The demands include appointment of a chairperson to the state human rights panel, rehabilitation of victims of the Saradha chit fund scam, and providing justice to a host of rape victims among others.

"Administrative excesses, injustice and human rights violations have become the order of the day in West Bengal. The state government has become defunct and has been acting on the whims and the fancies of the ruling Trinamool Congress," Mahapatra told IANS.

"We will be meeting the president and the home minister Tuesday with our pleas. Only the Centre can save Bengal from the prevailing jungle raj, so we are seeking its intervention," said Mahapatra, who was earlier arrested for circulating emails mocking Chief Minister Banerjee.

The 52-member forum includes Protima Dutta, wife of murdered environmental activist Tapan Dutta, kin of slain anti-rape crusader Barun Biswas, and farmer Shiladitya Chowdhuri who was branded a Maoist by Banerjee and thrown behind bars for publicly questioning her about rising fertiliser prices.