KOLKATA: Fresh violence broke out between two communities in the Hooghly district on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession. BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and several MLAs were part of the procession.
The trouble started when the procession was passing in front of a place of worship belonging to a particular community.
BJP MLA from Pursura (Hooghly), Biman Ghosh and two other party functionaries were injured along with several others when stones were pelted during the clash. Ghosh was taken out of the area by the personnel of the central reserve police force, who was in charge of his security.
"During the course of the peaceful procession, stones were pelted from a particular place. Instead of taking action against the attackers, the police dispersed us. Tear gas shells were lobbed to bring the situation under control,’’ said Ghosh.
The incident took place in Hooghly's Rishra under the Serampore sub-division. A large contingent of police personnel, led by the commissioner of police Amit Javalgi, rushed to the area. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control. Several shops were vandalised and some cycle vans were set ablaze in the violence.
Reacting to the incident, West Bengal governor C. V. Ananda Bose said, "The lawbreakers will soon realise that they are playing with fire. Police personnel rushed to the spot. We are determined to put an end to this arson. The culprits will be booked and put behind the bars tonight itself."
Tension prevailed in Howrah's Shibpur last Thursday following a clash between the same two communities during a Ram Navami procession. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee hit out the BJP alleging the conspiracy behind the violence in Howrah was hatched a month ago and the procession took a route that was not permitted to them.
"In Rishra, stones were pelted at women and children during the procession. The state government is taking no action even after the Howrah violence. Several vehicles were vandalised in the attack,’’ said Ghosh.
BJP leader Amit Malviya claimed that the violence in Hooghly, following the unrest in Howrah, is a result of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s approval. "After Howrah, Serampore is burning. This has Mamata Banerjee’s approval,’’ Malviya tweeted.
BJP’s West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar wrote to Union Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday alleging the situation in the state is going out of control. ‘’The chief minister has failed to control the situation. The state needs the Centre’s intervention,’’ Majumdar alleged in her letter to Shah.
Following the violence in Howrah, Shah called the Bengal governor and inquired about the law and order situation.
The TMC, however, accused the BJP for the violence. "The violence was a fallout of the BJP’s provocation. When the Ram Navami occasion was over three days ago, what is the point of taking out a procession on the occasion,’’ said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.