Reacting to reports that the police were looking into close “links” of a section of the “intellectuals” with the arrested leader of the Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), Chhatradhar Mahato, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today warned that West Bengal would burn if this continued.

“I am shocked and saddened by what is happening. The government is hatching a conspiracy against intellectuals, who are assets of Bengal and also of the nation. Bengal will burn if they are touched,” Banerjee told The Indian Express in Siliguri.

Recently, names of intellectuals like Saonli Mitra and Mahasweta Devi, members of the Lalgarh Sanhati Manch, had come up in the context of having “links” with Mahato and the PCAPA in Lalgarh.

“They are playing with fire,” Banerjee said, warning against such a move.

“People will answer them. We are also ready to give them a reply if Bengal’s intellectuals are touched. Nobody will be able to control the fire.”

Drawing a line between the Maoist movement and the tribal agitation, she said those were two entirely different things. “The Lalgarh movement is a tribal agitation. Those who are supporting the tribal agitation are right. We also supported the tribal agitation as atrocities were committed against them in Lalgarh,” the railway minister said.

The Trinamool chief also asked what was wrong in having links with the PCAPA. “Did the government ban the People’s Committee? No,” she said.

Hours later, CID picks up two of them
Two city-based intellectuals were arrested by the CID late this evening for alleged links with Chhatradhar Mahato. Prasun Chatterjee and Raja Sarkhel were picked up from their Jadavpur homes by the officials.

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