Fresh violence was reported in Basirhat after section 144 was imposed in the area and protesters have blocked the road. Tear gas shells were used to disperse the crowd. The clashes had erupted on Tuesday.
BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday constituted a team comprising Om Mathur, Meenakshi Lekhi, Satyapal Singh, Kailash Vijayvargiya. The team will visit the affected area and submit report to Shah.
Not a soul in sight near the carcass of the motorcycle, finally a man peeked out from over his balcony wall and whispered that the bike was burnt just one hour ago. Suman Ganguly said, “Hindu and Muslim boys clashed and set this bike on fire.”
Late last week, a Hindu teenager posted an offensive post about the Prophet Mohammed on Facebook. He has been arrested, but served as the trigger for a long cycle of arson and violence.
Soon after the arrest, large groups came out on the streets in various parts of Bashirhat and Barasat sub-division of the district, protesting against the Facebook post and demanding death sentence for the teenager.
The anger in the people seemed to be about the police intervention in the matter and why the matter was not left in the hands of the mob who would have given instant justice.
The government has already deployed 400 paramilitary personnel in the riots-hit town.
Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the West Bengal government over the communal clashes.
Jishnu Basu, RSS’s General Secretary in South Bengal, said, “It is a very unfortunate incident and we are in a state of shock over the clashes which are taking place in Basirhat . We strongly condemn this incident.”
The murder took place hours after West Bengal Chief Minister urged people to maintain peace in the areas.
While condemning the clashes, she said, “Somebody posted a picture on Facebook and police arrested that youth. Then, where is the problem? I would like to warn those involved in the clashes not to play with fire.”
Mamata claimed that there were some religious leaders from both Muslim and Hindu community behind the clashes. “I am sorry to say that some religious leaders are doing this in exchange for money. This is shocking. Please don’t try to judge my patience limit. I am not in favour of any particular community,” she said.
Trouble started a few days ago after Saurav Sarkar, a class 12 student, uploaded an “objectionable post” on Facebook at Baduria in North 24 Parganas. After receiving a complaint, the police immediately arrested Saurav.
