Forty persons have been arrested from Maheshtala in West Bengal in connection with Wednesday’s violence that left several police personnel injured.
Clashes broke out between a few locals at ward number 7 at Maheshtala on Wednesday afternoon over the setting up of a shop. It took a communal turn with some people alleging attack on a place of worship. The violence between two groups spiralled out of control with mobs throwing stones at the police personnel who tried to control the situation.
“Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the area and the situation is under control,” Jawed Shamim, Additional Director General ( Law and Order) West Bengal Police.
The State BJP accused the police of trying to “whitewash a communal attack”, and sought the deployment of Central forces. The ruling Trinamool Congress, in turn, accused the BJP of trying to incite communal passions.
The area where the violence broke out falls under the overlapping jurisdiction of the Kolkata Police and the West Bengal Police. Mr. Shamim said 28 persons were arrested by the West Bengal Police. Four of its personnel sustained injuries. Twelve persons were arrested by the city police. About a dozen personnel of the Kolkata Police, including a Deputy Commissioner, were injured in the violence. Seven FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence. All the arrests took place on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
Police warning
“We urge all to keep calm and not indulge in rumour-mongering on social media. Those trying to trigger unrest will be sternly dealt with as per law,” the West Bengal Police posted on social media.
Tension prevailed in the area, and shops and other commercial establishments remained closed on Thursday morning. There was massive deployment of police personnel. They also cleared several vandalised vehicles, particularly motorbikes, from the road. While the Rabindra Nagar police station is located about 100 metres from the site of violence, locals alleged that police deployment was not adequate to contain a mob that comprised hundreds of people.
BJP MLAs meet Governor
BJP legislators led by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari staged a walkout from the Assembly, marched to the Raj Bhavan and met Governor C.V. Ananda Bose over the violence. A press statement from the Raj Bhavan Media cell said the Governor urged “everyone to remain calm to ensure that peace and law and order is restored, and normalcy returns” .
Mr. Adhikari also approached the Calcutta High Court demanding deployment of Central forces at Maheshtala. In a social media post, the BJP leader described the police statement as an “attempt to whitewash a blatant communal attack on Hindus…. reducing it to a mere “clash between two groups”.
The Trinamool Congress leadership said the BJP was trying to incite communal passions over the Maheshtala violence. “Among the five arrested from Budge-Budge, Nabin Chandra Roy has been identified as a declared @BJP4India worker. Explosive materials were also recovered from them, intended to create unrest,” the Trinamool posted on social media.
Only a few weeks ago in April, the State had witnessed communal violence at Samserganj and Dhulian in Murshidabad district which claimed three lives and left hundreds homeless.
