[Onthebarricades] INDIA: "Mobs" target ration dealers over corruption

[Andy]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Police_fire_to_quell_riot_1_dead/articleshow/2421229.cms

Police fire to quell riot, 1 dead
2 Oct 2007, 0204 hrs IST,TNN

LABHPUR/SURI: The agitation in Birbhum against unscrupulous ration dealers 
again took a violent turn on Monday, with police opening fire to disperse a 
mob.

While a 50-year-old man died after being shot, several others were injured. 
The violence began after villagers gathered at the Labhpur BDO's office to 
submit a memorandum against ration dealers who had been hoarding subsidised 
foodgrain for sale in the open market.

The office guards panicked after seeing the crowd swell to several thousand 
and closed the gate to keep them out. That apparently provoked the 
villagers, who turned violent. RAF was summoned and the firing began soon 
after.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Ration-riot-another-death-in-police-firing/224291/

Ration riot: another death in police firing
Express news service
Posted online: Thursday , October 04, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Thursday , October 04, 2007 at 02:26:46

Kolkata, October 03 ONE more person died in police firing in the state when 
a violent mob tried to set on fire the house of a ration dealer on 
Wednesday.
The incident took place at Ketugram in Burdwan. This is the second death in 
police firing after October 1, when one person was killed at Lavpur in 
Birbhum following a mob attack on the house of a ration dealer.
On Tuesday also violence erupted at Kirnahar and Mayureshwar, also in 
Birbhum when a violent mob attacked ration shops and looted food grain, 
protesting against the corrupt practices by ration dealers. As many as 12 
people were injured in the incidents.
"Police had to fire six to seven rounds to disperse a mob that attacked the 
house of a ration shop owner at Ketugram. A person, Bhanu Das, was killed in 
the process," Raj Kanojia, IG, Law and Order, West Bengal Police, said.
Reacting to the increasing number of incidents of violence against ration 
dealers across the state, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee meanwhile 
appealed to the people not to take law in their hands.
He assured the people of taking appropriate measures against corrupt ration 
dealers.
In his statement, the CM said: "For the last few days, violent incidents 
against ration dealers have been taking place in various districts. The 
state government is trying its best to maintain the supply of food grain and 
we have appealed to the Centre to increase its supply. We will try our best 
so that the poor people of the state can avail themselves of the Public 
Distribution Scheme. The government is investigating into the allegations of 
corruption against some ration dealers and it will take appropriate 
measures. I see houses of ration dealers are being attacked and I request to 
all not to repeat this kind of incidents."
The West Bengal MR Dealers Association meanwhile threatened to surrender all 
its licences en masse. It submitted a memorandum to the CM demanding his 
intervention to find a way out of the problem.
Oppostion parties demand CBI probe
Opposition parties Congress and Trinamool Congress have demanded a CBI 
inquiry into the alleged malpractices with food grain supplies in the Public 
Distribution System.
In separate press meets, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee and Congress 
Legislature Party leader Manas Bhuniya said they had no confidence in the 
inquiry being conducted by the state machinery.
"The government came to know that dealers are smuggling ration goods to the 
open market, only when people started protesting. In fact, the dealers were 
running their business safely in connivance with the ruling party cadres. We 
don't have any faith on any inquiry by the state government. So we demand a 
CBI probe which should not be politically influenced," Banerjee said.
WBPCC general secretary Manas Bhuniya alleged that food grains and kerosene 
were being smuggled to Jharkhand and even Bangladesh.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=172688

Ration protest on
Statesman News Service
BURDWAN/MALDA, Oct. 7: An angry mob, protesting against corrupt rationing 
practices, ransacked the house of a ration dealer, looted food materials and 
launched an attack on a procession and office of the CPI-M in Nababhat in 
the outskirts of Burdwan town today. The ration dealer is reportedly a 
Trinamul Congress supporter and the attackers were allegedly backed by the 
RSP.
As protests and public outrage against corrupt rationing practices spread to 
the neighbouring districts, angry villagers in the Kandi sub-division area 
of Murshidabad ransacked houses and shops of five ration dealers, went on a 
looting spree and also set on fire their go-downs in a series of incidents 
since yesterday.In Burdwan, a mob broke into the house of ration dealer, Mr 
Sheikh Fakir Mohammed around 8.30 a.m., dragged him out of his house along 
with his sons and beat them up. Even the womenfolk of the house were not 
spared. The mob also torched a tractor, six motorbikes and a Tata Sumo while 
furniture worth Rs 12 lakh were set on fire as well. Ten television sets, 
ten VCDs, a sound system, two refrigerators were damaged when the house was 
ransacked.
Gold jewellery worth Rs 8 lakh and Rs 14 lakh in cash were also looted. Soon 
after this, a group of CPI-M activists and leaders were also attacked when 
they tried to defend the dealer and a local party office was ransacked. 
Twelve CPI-M supporters, including two of their leaders, Mr Ganesh Chowdhury 
and Mr Arabindo Panja were rushed to the Burdwan Medical College and 
Hospital.
The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob and eight villagers 
were arrested. Later, around 2000 CPI-M supporters, took out a rally in the 
village brandishing sword, lathis and chains.
The ration dealer later alleged: "The intruders were headed by RSP 
activists. Yesterday they had demanded Rs 15 lakh to spare house of 
vandalism." Reports say that the dealer, is also a rich farmer and according 
to the district administration, "there has been no complaint against him."
Mr Amol Halder, district CPI-M secretary said: "The miscreants are taking 
advantage of the current turmoil surrounding the rationing system. This 
dealer is a supporter of TMC, but our men went to his rescue as we are not 
tackling the issue politically."
Meanwhile, the Murshidabad SP, Mr. Rahul Srivastava said that 37 persons 
were arrested in connection with looting spree at shops of ration dealers' 
and go-downs of distributors. "A large police contingent has been deployed 
in trouble prone areas to combat the situation," Mr. Srivastava said.
Police said that violence spread to Murshidabad following rumours that 
dealers in the district would compensate Rs 1000 each to ration cardholders. 
When dealers refused to do so, angry villagers looted the houses of ration 
dealers located at Sherpur, Simulia in Khargram today.
At Sherpur, two vehicles and two go-downs of Mr. Nazir Khan, a ration 
dealer, were set on fire. 24 persons were arrested in this connection. At 
Simulia, villagers looted the house of Aleyara Bibi, a modified ration 
dealer, when her husband was away from home. It was alleged that villagers 
looted even ornaments from her house.
"We do not have such information, but will enquire into the ornament looting 
case, if any. In fact, we do not have complaints and we are initiating suo 
moto cases here," the Murshidabad SP said.
Police said that distributors serving the Kandi sub-division area could not 
supply materials for this week and some dealers left their home after 
hanging a closure notice in front of their shops. This created further 
trouble.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Ration-riot-Godowns-robbed-torched-in-Burdwan-Hashkhali-Murshidabad/225948/

Ration riot: Godowns robbed, torched in Burdwan, Hashkhali, Murshidabad
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Monday , October 08, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Monday , October 08, 2007 at 02:36:18
Print Email To Editor


Kolkata, October 7 Eight CPM leaders, including an MLA and a ration dealer, 
were beaten up by mob and their ration shops ransacked as protests erupted 
against the public distribution system (PDS) in Bardhaman and Murshidabad 
today.
At Khargram in Murshidabad, protests culminated in a group of locals 
torching the godown of a ration dealer.
Police have arrested 37 people in this connection. A similar incident took 
place at Hashkhali in Nadia as well.
At Nabaghat in Bardhaman district, Sheikh Fakir Mehmood's godown was torched 
and plundered by locals around 10 am. The locals had abducted him on 
Saturday and made him promise to pay compensation before police rescued him 
in the evening. The trouble started when he backtracked on his promise 
today.
When eight CPM leaders, including local MLA Pradip Tah, Ganesh Chowdhury and 
Kamal Gaen reached the spot to control the situation, they were also beaten 
up.
The injured MLA had his hand broken in the attack and was hospitalised. Two 
policemen had to be hospitalised too. The mob set afire a nearby CPM party 
office as well.
Six people have been arrested. "The situation is being constantly 
 monitored," said SP (Burdwan) Piyush Pandey. At Kumarpur and Lakhsmipur, 
two more ration shops were vandalised. Armed CPM activists then took out a 
procession raising slogans against agitators.
The party district secretary Amal Halder said later in the day that CPM 
cadres would fight the agitating people in the district.
The local administration, meanwhile, has constituted a committee comprising 
the district magistrate, block development officers (BDOs) and the zilla 
sabhadipati. Residents have been asked to approach the committee with 
complaints against any ration dealer.
Protests against corruption in thePDS have gained momentum in the state 
after a youth was killed in police firing at Labpur in Birbhum on October 2. 
Over 2,000 protestors had then burnt a police jeep and several motorcycles.
On Wednesday, six PDS shops - two each in Bankura, Birbhum and Burdwan 
districts - were set on fire by angry mobs. Following the protests, the 
state government cancelled licenses of more than 40 ration dealers.