Former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi has chosen not to comment on Rampurhat carnage in Birbhum at a time when his present counterpart Jagdeep Dhankhar has been scathing in his attack on chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Mr Gandhi had given strong statements on Nandigram killings, which took place on 14 March, 2007. He had said, “a sense of cold horror” on the incident, which led to the fall of the Left Front government in 2011. Fourteen people were killed in police firing at Nandigram in East Midnapore as the administration had moved in to take charge of an area that had virtually been marooned by Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee members.
The Statesman called up Mr Gandhi on Tuesday seeking his reaction to the Rampurhat incident. “I must find out exactly what happened there before giving my reactions.” Today again, this correspondent had contacted him over the phone and wanted to know his views. “I have no reactions and won’t comment on the issue,” Mr Gandhi said over phone.
After the Nandigram firing Mr Gandhi had said the use of force in the area could have been avoided. “Was this spilling of human blood not avoidable?” “I cannot be so casual to the oath I have taken as to restrict my reaction to a pious expression of anguish and outrage,” Mr Gandhi had reacted after Nandigram killings. Slamming the state government Mr Dhankhar wrote to Mamata today in a strongly-worded letter.