Kolkata: After around 50 BJP workers protesting against the alleged Kolkata vaccination scam were arrested by the police, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Monday accused the TMC-led state government of destroying law and order, stating that violence was at its peak, people were being killed and women being raped in the state. He said despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi providing free vaccines to the states, the West Bengal government is not only administering fake vaccines but is also charging money from people to vaccinate them.
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh said, "Just now the new government took charge and it has only been two months. We wanted that the government should work peacefully. We wanted the government to move ahead while solving the problems of the people and controlling the situation. But in the past two months, the law and order in the state have worsened to such an extent that violence is at its peak. Around 45 people were killed, women are being raped."
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"On top of all this, the way vaccine is being politicised, there is a scam going on. Fake vaccines are being administered in broad daylight. This is why we have taken to the streets to protest against it. Instead of giving free vaccine doses to poor people which is being sent free of cost by Modi Ji to states, those vaccines are being charged. The entire law and order have been destroyed, there is no law and order left. This is why we have to come on the streets. We had organised a peaceful protest. I had just walked a kilometre from my office, we were stopped. Around 50 of our workers were arrested," said Ghosh.
"We were protesting against fake vaccination scam. There is no democracy left in Bengal, this (arrest of BJP workers) proves that" said a BJP worker while speaking to ANI from the window of a bus in which the police took away the arrested party workers. Responding to a question on whether the party received permission to carry out the protest march, he said, "We had informed. We were about to march to the Corporation (building) but could not do so because the police have arrested us."
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The BJP workers were arrested during a protest march from Subodh Malik Chowk to the Municipal Corporation organised by the West Bengal unit of the party to protest against the Kolkata vaccine scam. This comes days after the office of Debanjan Deb, the man behind Kolkata's alleged vaccination scam who impersonated as an IAS officer, was raided on Saturday by the Detective Department of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
According to the Kolkata Police, voluminous material, such as attendance registers, visitor slips, applications for jobs, fake tender documents, and several other things have been seized. At least three people, including Deb and two of his employees Indrajit Shaw and security personnel Arabinda Baidya, have been arrested in connection with the case so far. Shaw was arrested on Friday and was instrumental in organising a vaccination camp in City College, Kolkata.
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The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday asked the West Bengal government to file an affidavit by Friday in the case. A team of the Kolkata Police had on Monday conducted a raid at the residence of Deb. Police said the accused had confessed to having organised two such camps in the city -- at City College and Kasba. An SIT was formed on June 25 by the police to investigate the matter two days after TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty was allegedly given fake vaccination at such a camp. Deb was subsequently arrested based on Chakraborty's complaint.
ANI
