Biswas (left) gives a cheque for Rs 3 lakh to Basanti in Cooch Behar on Monday. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

Dinhata, Feb. 11: The relatives of the five Forward Bloc supporters, who fell to police bullets here on February 5, were handed over cheques for Rs 3 lakh each by the party’s all-India general secretary, Debabrata Biswas, who visited their houses today.

The Bloc also issued a warning to the Bengal government saying that it would resort to law violation programmes in the district if all charges against party leaders and 40 supporters who are in jail were not withdrawn by February 29.

“Our movement does not end here with the death of the five supporters. We will take this issue up at the national level. Many innocent people are in jail for taking part in a pre-announced agitation programme. The police deliberately wanted this to happen,” Biswas told reporters.

He said from February 15 to 29, all gram panchayats and municipal wards in the state would organise meetings to pay tribute to the dead. “We will also present a gallantry award to all those injured and arrested,” said Biswas, who also visited the jail.

Biswas, Udayan Guha, Paresh Adhikary and other leaders later visited the home of Swapan Mahanta’s widow, Basanti, and handed over the cheque. “We are with you always. You need not worry,” Biswas consoled the woman who sobbed uncontrollably.

The money would be kept in Allahabad Bank accounts from where each family would get a monthly share of the annual interest, party sources said.