Adhikari Blames TMC for Turning 1993 Police Firing into a Political Tool

On Monday, July 20, 2026, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari walked into the Assembly with a thick folder in hand – the report of Justice (retd.) Sushanta Chatterjee’s commission into the 1993 police firing that left 13 Youth Congress workers dead.

He didn’t just hand it over; he read out parts of it, timing the move a day before the Trinamool Congress’s annual July 21 rally that commemorates the victims. According to the chief minister, the TMC‑led government received the report back in 2024 but kept its findings under wraps and ignored several key recommendations.

“The commission suggested a compensation of ₹25 lakh for each family that lost a member and ₹5 lakh for every injured person. The previous administration never acted on that,” Adhikari said, his tone a mixture of frustration and resolve.

He went on to claim that the families got a token ₹2 lakh each, while the injured were handed a paltry ₹15,000 – a figure that, he argued, starkly contrasts with the panel’s advice.

In a surprising turn, the BJP‑led government promised to step in. “Those families can lodge fresh FIRs if they wish, and we will provide every ounce of legal assistance the state can muster,” the chief minister announced, adding that the balance compensation would be paid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Adhikari didn’t shy away from political overtones. “The July 21 incident has been weaponised for political mileage. Many have built careers and amassed personal fortunes by invoking that day,” he said, implying that the tragedy has been repeatedly re‑hashed to win votes.

He concluded with a simple, almost pleading, reminder to the people of Bengal: “You deserve to know what really happened on that fateful day, not a sanitized version crafted for political advantage.”