Mamata to athlete: Do not worry- Forest officer who led the raid to be transferred

TT  |   Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar   |  17.07.20, 02:10 AM  :  The state government will “resolve” the issue of athlete and Arjuna awardee Swapna Burman’s timber purchase and transfer the forest officer who led a raid on her house on July 13, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday.

Mamata said she had spoken to Swapna on Wednesday. “It isn’t possible for her to know if the timber sold to her is legal or illegal. I assured her that she should not be worried. We will resolve the issue. Also, instructions have been given to transfer the forest officer,” she said.

BJP leaders, including MP Jayanta Roy, also visited Swapna’s Jalpaiguri home on Thursday, and spoke to her for hours.

Swapna, won gold in heptathlon at the 2018 Asian Games, is one of the most famous faces of the Rajbanshi community. Overtures by the chief minister and BJP indicate that both Trinamul and BJP were trying to tell the Rajbanshi population that they were backing Swapna.

The Rajbanshis form a big chunk of the vote bank in 30-odd Assembly constituencies of north Bengal.

On July 13, the special task force of the forest department held a raid at Swapna’s house. Sanjoy Dutta, range officer of the special task force, said that they acted on information that the athlete had bought timber to rebuild her family home. Dutta asked her for papers to prove the legal validity of the purchase. As Swapna and her family could not, they got a 30-day notice to submit papers.

“I had told the chief minister that the raid was unbecoming. The Rajbanshi community is disappointed...we want steps against the forest officer,” Bangshibadan Burman, chairman of the Rajbanshi Bhasa Academy, said.

Trinamul and BJP leaders blamed the other for the raid.

“The forest department is under the state government but some officers are working at the BJP’s behest. It was the BJP’s plan to humiliate the athlete,” said K.K. Kalyani, Jalpaiguri district Trinamul president.

The BJP was quick to deny the charge. “Baseless allegations. It is not us but Trinamul leaders who control state government officers. The state forest department should have thought twice before conducting a raid at Swapna’s house,” said Bapi Goswami, the district BJP chief of Jalpaiguri.

Swapna, who has maintained silence since July 13, refused to speak to newspersons on Thursday as well.

An observer said it was clear that both Trinamul and BJP were trying to reap political dividends.