Violence in Bengal over blasphemous FB post; shops, houses torched
KOLKATA: Dozens of shops and houses, and at least six police vehicles, were torched by a mob in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district over the past two days after disrespectful Facebook post concerning the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) began circulating online.
The class 11 student- a Hindu posted a blasphemous message on Facebook was arrested on Sunday night and prohibitory orders clamped, but vandalism continued throughout Monday and Tuesday as the administration did not inform people about the arrest, claimed Quazi Abdur Rahim, the MLA of Baduria, where the incident happened.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed BJP for inciting the violence, and also alleged that the governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had threatened her and said he was acting like a “BJP block president”.
“He telephoned me and threatened me. The governor cannot threaten me. He should know that he is a nominated person. I have told him that you cannot talk to me like that,” the visibly angry CM told reporters in Kolkata.
On the communal violence, she warned leaders of both communities that “I won’t spare anybody fuelling communal clashes”.
“BJP may provoke, but why will you walk into the trap? Those who have destroyed government property will have to pay for it,” she said.
The governor, however, expressed surprise at Mamata’s attitude and language.
“The talks between the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the Hon’ble Governor were confidential in nature and none is expected to disclose it,” said a statement issued by the governor’s office, adding that there was nothing in it by which the CM may have “felt insulted, threatened or humiliated”.
“It is proper for the Hon’ble Governor to bring to the notice of the Hon’ble Chief Minister any serious grievance made by any member of public or any serious event happening in the state. The Hon’ble Governor cannot remain a mute spectator of the affairs in the state,” the statement said.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the governor can “certainly interfere if there are repeated incidents of violence”.
Efforts to Quell Violence
Angry Muslim mobs set fire to shops and houses belonging to Hindus in Baduria, Swarupnagar and Taki blocks of the district bordering Bangladesh. The car of the additional police superintendent of the district was also attacked on Tuesday.
The Centre rushed 300 paramilitary personnel to the spot, which is about 50 km from Kolkata.
State food minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said he was at the spot tackling the situation whereas the district police superintendent, Bhaskar Mukherjee was not available for comment immediately as he was in a meeting.
MLA Rahim accused the administration of not making any “efforts to spread the news of the arrest”, and said, “Some fundamentalist forces are behind this vandalism. The moment we manage to quell agitation at one place, it starts somewhere else.”
