Curfew imposed in some districts, uneasy calm prevails
By Sucheta Chakaborty
Kolkata: Massive unrest over Ram Navami processions continued in Bengal as members of saffron outfits clashed with the police in Murshidabad and Bardhaman West districts, resulting in a senior police officer losing his hand when a bomb was hurled at him on day before yesterday.
An injured local of the Raniganj violence passed away on Wednesday and this triggered a fresh trouble in the area. Curfew imposed in the area to control the situation.
The Union Home Ministry has demanded report from the BJP MP Babul Supriyo regarding the violence in state.
Earlier in the Raniganj area of Bardhaman West district, two police officers were seriously injured when two groups attacked each other during a rally on Monday. Curfew was imposed in some parts of Bengal.
In few conflicted areas of Mursidabad, Bardhaman and Asansol, Section 144 was imposed since Monday evening after violence was reported.
Members of the two communities got into a fight even as the police tried to intervene. A place of worship in the vicinity was also attacked during the clashes.
Asansol-Durgapur deputy commissioner of police Arindam Dutta Chowdhury was injured in the incident. He lost a hand when the agitators hurled a bomb at him. He has been admitted to a private hospital. Officer in-charge (OC) Pramit Ganguly also received head injuries in the violence, sources from the police said.
Union minister and Asansol MP (BJP) Babul Supriyo, who was supposed to participate in one the rallies in Raniganj but backed out at the last moment, alleged that it was a “premeditated attack, meant to hurt me”.
On Sunday a person was killed and five police personnel were injured in a clash between two groups in Purulia as sword-wielding BJP supporters defied the state government’s ban on armed rallies on Ram Navami.
Reacting to violence reported in Ram Navami rallies, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the director general of police (DGP) to instruct all the superintendents of police (SPs) to take strong action against those who carried arms in the rallies. “The law will take its own course.
I will not tolerate this,” she had said adding that action would be taken against the police if they failed to take measures in this regard.
An FIR has been lodged against BJP state president Dilip Ghosh under non-bailable sections, West Mindapore district Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria said.
Ghosh had purportedly been seen participating in a Ram Navami rally with a sword and a mace at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district on Sunday.
According to reports in the Kandi area of Murshidabad district, clashes broke out when the participants in a Ram Navami rally, allegedly armed with swords and tridents, tried to enter a police station, the police said. At least 10 people were injured when the members of the Ram Navami Utsav Committee came to shower blows on the police during a procession in the area, a senior police officer said.
The Trinamul Congress and the BJP had organised several processions to celebrate Ram Navami in the state, with the saffron party dubbing the rallies as a first step towards “uniting the Hindus” of Bengal. The committee, also comprising BJP and VHP activists, had organised the rally from the Kandi bus stand during morning hours to the Radhaballav temple around Additional SP (Sadar) Anish Sarkar said.
“A case was also registered against BJP West Bengal Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee for allegedly participating in an armed Ram Navami procession in Birbhum district on Sunday with a trident in hand,” said N Sudheer Kumar, Superintendent of Police.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said the police had not given permission to take out armed rallies. The police would take legal action against those who defied the rules, he added.
The Asansol mayor Jitendra Tiwari urged the people to maintain peace in the area
