Tensions flared in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, after a violent clash broke out between police and unidentified miscreants following the alleged vandalism of a Shiva temple in Ward No. 7 of Maheshtala under the Metiabruz Assembly constituency. Security was significantly ramped up in the Rabindra Nagar area on Thursday amid growing political heat.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders claimed that Hindu families and shopkeepers were attacked in a targeted act of communal violence. In a strongly worded post on X, Adhikari said he had approached the Superintendent of Police of Diamond Harbour Police District and the Director General of West Bengal Police, seeking permission to visit Maheshtala and meet the affected Hindu victims.
“This visit is a step towards understanding their grievances and ensuring their voices are heard. I hope the administration does not obstruct my visit,” Adhikari wrote. He further alleged that the attack was carried out by “Jihadis” and accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) of shielding extremists.
The BJP leader’s reaction comes on the heels of previous communal unrest in the state, including protests linked to the Waqf Board Amendment Act. Adhikari also took a swipe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her reported remarks on the Pulwama attack, accusing her party of backing terrorism. “TMC extends full support to terrorists and is turning Bengal into a valley of extremists,” he said.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Assembly recently passed a resolution praising the Indian Armed Forces for their strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and condemning the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
As the situation in Maheshtala remains tense, political rhetoric is intensifying, pushing the communal and law-and-order narrative into sharper national focus.
