Days after communal violence marred several districts of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that she would not let rioters go scot-free, and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah districts.
Addressing a rally in Purba Medinipur district, Banerjee alleged, “The BJP is behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah. They had brought in hired ‘goondas’ from other states to unleash violence in Bengal, which is not in our culture. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. But rioters have no religion, they are just political goons. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm.”
Taking a dig at the Left government, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said, “The ‘Baam’ (Left) and ‘Ram’ (BJP) have joined hands against us… BJP is maligning the name of Lord Ram by resorting to violence during Ram Navami.”
In a veiled attack at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his recent comments made in Bihar’s Nawada, she said, “The BJP said that if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their goondas who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home.”
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose, who rushed from Darjeeling to visit violence-hit areas of Hooghly district, said that “hooligans” will not be allowed to take law in their hands.
The governor reached Rishra straight from the Kolkata airport after arriving from Darjeeling, and went to the Railway Gate No 4 which witnessed incidents of violence and arson on Monday night. The violence affected train services along the Howrah-Bardhaman main line.
Will take strict action against wrong-doers: Governor
“We will never allow forces of darkness to take society to ransom. We will take strict action against wrongdoers. People have a right to peacefully living, that right will be established at any cost,” Bose said, reported ANI.
Meanwhile, a BJP delegation arrived at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata to meet the governor over the recent communal violence in the state.
Clashes in Rishra
Clashes were reported in Rishra in Hooghly district on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession between two groups in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party’s Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised. Parts of nearby Serampore also witnessed incidents of vandalism.
Most shops remained closed and few people were seen on the streets in Rishra on Tuesday as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC remained clamped, and internet services remained suspended.
Train services along the Howrah-Bardhaman line resumed on Tuesday morning after being affected by incidents of fresh clashes near railway gate number 4 in Rishra on Monday night.
Incidents of clashes during Ram Navami processions in West Bengal were first reported in Howrah city Shibpur area on March 30, followed by similar clashes in Uttar Dinajpur districts.
Calcutta HC directs state govt to submit report
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to file a report on fresh clashes in Rishra in Hooghly district after lawyers representing senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari mentioned the matter before a division bench.
The court directed Adhikari to file a supplementary affidavit before it, and directed the state government to submit CCTV and video footage related to the incidents of violence.