1982 Bijon Setu killings

1982 Bijon Setu massacre case refers to killing and burning of 16 monks and a nun belonging to Ananda Marga at Bijon Setu, Calcutta in West Bengal, India on April 30, 1982. No culprits were arrested for the incident.

Incident

On the morning of April 30, 1982, 16 Ananda Marga monks and a nun were dragged out of taxis that were taking them to an educational conference at their headquarters in Tiljala in Calcutta's southern suburbs. At three spots simultaneously, they were beaten to death and then set on fire. The killings were witnessed by thousands of people. However, not a single arrest has been made till date.cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19970502/12250433.html|title=Basu Govt still suppressing facts on Margi massacre|last=Namboodiri|first=Udayan|date=1997-05-02|publisher=The Indian Express|accessdate=2008-07-04]

Probe

National Human Rights Commission took up the investigation of case in 1996 however due to non-coperation from the marxist government of West Bengal it has not made any headway.

On April 30, 1999 the Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha (AMPS) demanded a high-level judicial probe into the mass killing of Ananda Margis. Taking cue from the Union Government, which has ordered an inquiry into the killings of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa, the AMPS in a 66-page letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, urged the Government to set up a similar panel to probe "the killings of 17 Ananda Margis in broad daylight in Calcutta."``Never had the city of Calcutta or any part of our country witnessed such inhuman, brutal and systematic massacre spreading over one and a half hours without any police intervention while the police station is at a stone's throw distance," the letter said.The letter urged the Prime Minister to immediately set up a high-level probe panel into the killings in accordance with the provision of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, "failing which the government, would violate the provision of the Constitution", the letter added.cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990501/ige01007.html|title=Probe into killings of Ananda Margis sought|publisher=The Indian Express|accessdate=2008-07-04]

Developments

On April 28, 2004, for the first time since the massacre of the Ananda Margis the commissioner of police (Calcutta) allowed the Pracharak Samity to hold a rally on April 30, 2004 to mourn the death of 17 Margis without any court order. The police chief, however, made it clear that no skull dance or display of weapons would be allowed during the rally. cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040428/asp/calcutta/story_3181577.asp|title=Police nod for Marga rally|publisher=The Telegraph — Calcutta|accessdate=2008-07-04]

References

External links

* [http://www.ananda-marga.org/?p=12 30th April 1982, A Pathetic Chapter of History Written in Blood of the 17 Monks and Nuns of Ananda Marga] ananda-marga.org (link from the official website of Ananda Marga)
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/13829121@N06/sets/72157604255490575/ Photos of Ananda Margi processions in Calcutta marking the anniversary of the massacre]
* [http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/nr.2008.12.1.26 Ananda Marga and the Use of Force by Helen Crovetto] An in-depth research of Ananda Marga actvities and the Bijon massacre. (limited access)