The mother of 10-year-old Tamanna Khatun, who was killed in a bomb attack allegedly by Trinamul Congress supporters in Nadia's Molandi village on June 23, has expressed dissatisfaction with the police investigation and accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of preventing cops from performing their duties properly.

“Mamata is not allowing the police to investigate my daughter's murder properly. That is why so much time is being taken to arrest all accused persons. It is unbelievable that the police have not been able to trace them. If that is true, then the police are worthless and have lost all credibility,” Sabina Sheikh said while speaking to Archana Majumdar, a member of the National Commission for Women, who visited Tamanna's Molandi home on Monday.

Mincing no words against the police and demanding a proper investigation, Sabina said: “There is a lack of responsibility on the part of a senior police officer (SP, Krishnanagar police district, Amarnath K) who termed it an accidental blast instantly on the fateful day without any investigation while coming to the spot much later after the explosion.”

Majumdar also raised the issue of a "shabby police investigation" into the murder of the Class IV girl and accused the police of negligence in preserving the crime scene.

She alleged that the police had failed to cordon off the area, risking the destruction of crucial evidence, especially after the state forensic team removed soil samples for their investigation. This, she warned, could complicate any future probe by another agency.

“This is a wrong concept. Tamanna's parents have appealed for a CBI probe. So CBI or any other agency, even CID, might conduct a fresh investigation and carry out forensic examinations. But there will be no more evidence left, which needs to be preserved,” said Majumdar, who is also a doctor by profession.

She alleged that while the police searched Tamanna’s home for explosives, ironically, the houses of those named in the FIR were not searched, except in a few cases. Majumdar visited Molandi on Monday to meet Tamanna’s grieving parents, Sabina and Hossain Sheikh, at their residence. There, she assured them of all possible support in their fight for justice. Majumdar described the murder of Tamanna as “heinous” and “unimaginable”.

Speaking to Majumdar, Sabina broke down while narrating the sequence of events on June 23, the day her daughter was killed. Sabina said Tamanna had been planting flower saplings with her just before the bomb struck.

“She loved flowers. I had planned to take her to the pond to teach her swimming. But I never imagined what was waiting for her in the next moment,” she said.

“It was Trinamool booth committee president Gawal Sheikh, who directed Kalu to hurl the bomb that killed my daughter. It fatally ruptured the upper portion of her body,” Sabina told Majumdar.

She said local MLA Alifa Ahmed, despite visiting Molandi on Sunday on the occasion of Muharram, did not bother to meet her or speak to her about seeking justice for Tamanna.

Sabina has alleged that local civic volunteers deployed in the area have been attempting to influence the family. Majumdar raised this issue during her visit and asked the police to replace them.

“The police are trying their best despite pressure from the ruling party and have formed an SIT, but there remain some loopholes which should be immediately addressed,” she said.