The Trinamul Congress, the BJP and the CPM have lined up separate programmes at Bogtui in Birbhum district on Tuesday in memory of 10 persons who were charred to death on the intervening night of March 21 and 22 last year.

Similar heightened political activities were seen at Bogtui, around 230km from Calcutta, last year also after several houses were set on fire in retaliation for the killing of a deputy chief of a Trinamul-run gram panchayat on March 21 night.

Almost all senior leaders of the three parties, including chief minister Mamata Banerjee, leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and CPM state secretary Mohammad Salim, made a beeline for the village as it became the epicentre of political oneupmanship after the tragedy involving members of a Muslim family.

“We had seen all senior leaders of Bengal politics at our village over the last year or so.... We also saw several CBI teams here. The incident made our village famous,” said a local shopowner, who did not wish to be named.

“Our condition, however, remains unchanged,” added the middle-aged man, who spoke to this correspondent over the phone.

The carnage of last March made Bogtui famous, but it created a permanent scar in the minds of most residents, especially youths. Many youths left the area fearing a political or administrative backlash. Several local people said in private that as all parties had tried their best to milk political dividends by regularly holding programmes, the situation of the village didn’t normalise.

“We are sure that tension in the area will rise tomorrow,” said a senior police officer, who is entrusted with the responsibility of making law-and-order arrangements for the three programmes on Tuesday.

The BJP has been active in the village for the past few months as part of an attempt to reach out to the minority community. On Tuesday, Adhikari will hold a public meeting and then pay floral tributes to the carnage victims at a memory column around 3pm.

Trinamul’s column in memory of the victims. The Telegraph

“We would remember the innocent women and a child who were burnt alive following police inaction.... The incident was an example of how the internal power struggle in Trinamul is ruining the lives of common people,” said the Birbhum district president of the BJP, Dhruba Saha.

In the battle for the eyeballs of the villagers, Trinamul had been behind the BJP, probably because of the absence of Anubrata Mondal who had been arrested by the CBI in August last year in a cattle smuggling case. But district Trinamul leaders seemed to have woken up in the past few days and began building a memorial at Bogtui. Micro, medium and small industries minister Chandranath Sinha will inaugurate the memorial at 11am on Tuesday.

The memorial columns built by the BJP and Trinamul are 15 meters apart.

“Our chief minister had visited Bogtui and extended all possible help to the affected family members. The chief minister did not even spare her party’s then-block president and ordered police to arrest him. She even criticised the role of the police. Now, the BJP is trying to get political advantages by using the victims,” said Trinamul block president Syed Siraj Zimmi.

Mamata, who visited Bogtui on March 24, offered Rs 5 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of each of the deceased family members. She also ordered the arrest of the then Trinamul block president, Anarul Hossain and admitted lapses by the police.

The CPM is planning a silent march at the village in the evening and it will be led by Salim.

“We have been asked by all three political parties to attend their programme. We don’t have any objection as they are coming for a condolence meeting of our family members who lost their lives in violence,” said Mihilal Sheikh who lost his wife, a minor daughter and other relatives.

“But I would request all these leaders irrespective of political parties not to do politics over our losses.... We also want justice and punishment for the killers,” he added.

The CBI has been investigating the murder of the Trinamul deputy chief, BhaduSheikh, as well as the Bogtuimassacre following an order from Calcutta High Court. Several arrests have been made and the central agency also submitted three chargesheets.

Bara Lalan Sheikh, the prime accused in the massacre, died in the custody of the CBI at its Rampurhat camp office in December last year.

“The investigation of the massacre has slowed down after the prime accused was killed in CBI custody. The central agency shut down its camp office here (Rampurhat) and justice is delayed,” said CPM district secretariat member Sanjib Barman.