KOLKATA: Following the murder of a Muslim Bengali migrant worker in Jharkhand, protests erupted again on Saturday in West Bengal's Murshidabad district after people blocked a railway track nearby and national highway. This is the latest in a series of protests following the recent increase in violence against Muslim Bengali migrant workers accused of being Bangladeshi nationals.
Security has been tightened in Murshidabad's Beldanga area on Saturday fearing further violence.
35-year-old resident of Beldanga, Alauddin Sheikh, had been working as a hawker in the Bishrampur area of Jharkhand’s Palamu district for the past five years. The migrant worker, who was the father of a three-year-old girl, had returned to his workplace just a few days ago. Shortly after his return, he was murdered on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national.
When news of Alauddin's death reached the village, residents of the Sujapur–Maheshpur area began a blockade on NH12 at Maheshpur More under the jurisdiction of the Beldanga police station around 8 am on Friday.
As the one-way road was blocked from both ends, vehicles heading towards Calcutta, as well as those bound for Berhampore, were stranded.
Along with the NH12, the railway line at Maheshpur More was also blocked by the protesters, who placed wooden logs on the tracks.
A local train travelling from Lalgola to Ranaghat was stopped midway. Other trains were halted at Sargachhi and Berhampore stations. Trains coming from the opposite direction, from Sealdah, could reach only up to the Beldanga station and could not proceed further. Train services in Krishnanagar-Lalgola line have been stopped.
On Saturday, protestors armed with bamboo sticks went on rampage in the locality, dismantling roadside banners and flexes. Agitators blocked the nearby Barua crossing too. They also damaged several shops close to the railway gate spreading panic among local residents.
Local Bharatpur MLA and chairman of the newly floated Janata Unnayan Party Humayun Kabir visited the protest site on Saturday afternoon and told media that law and order situation in the area has been deteriorating and it would go out of control if the police administrations do not prompt action.”
A section of protesters chased away and assaulted TV journalist Soma Maity and her cameraperson Ranjit Mahato. Both were hospitalised.