Three ‘targeted’ on suspicion of NRC data collection in Bengal’s Birbhum

Sheikh, Bibi and Khatun were associated with the programme, Internet Saathi, a joint initiative of Google India, Intel and Tata Trusts. The programme aims to train people in villages who can, in turn, help educate other women from their village in the use of Internet.

Police said four people were arrested on Thursday for allegedly setting on fire the house of a 20-year-old woman in Birbhum’s Gourbazar village on Wednesday. Chumki Khatun and her family are also under police protection.

Police have, however, denied that the incident was linked to NRC. Khatun has been working for an NGO on a contract. In partnership with an online firm, the NGO was training rural women to use smartphones and Khatun collected some general data as part of the training, local sources said.

Rampurhat’s sub-divisional police officer Soumajit Barua said, “We didn’t find any link to the NRC. The incident happened over some village matter. We have initiated an investigation, the situation is now under control.”