West Bengal CM dismisses fact-finding team’s report on Ram Navami violence

New Delhi (India), April 11, 2023: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticized a fact-finding team whose conclusions about the recent violence during Ram Navami processions in Shibpur and Rishra seemed to match with the BJP’s charges against her government.

Banerjee dismissed the findings of the team, saying they were valueless, baseless, caseless, and faceless, and accused the BJP of using a non-issue for their religious agenda. The Chief Minister also questioned why people in a religious procession would carry arms, dance with a gun, and bring bulldozers without permission, calling it illegal.

She added that the incident happened because of the BJP, which brought outsiders from Munger (Bihar) to incite violence.

Banerjee defended the police action during the violence, stating that they had tactfully waited for an hour, after which the two groups settled the matter by cooperating.

She rejected allegations of suspicious motives and accused the fact-finding team of disturbing the peace in the area. The team of civil society members, including a former Chief Justice and former IPS officer, was stopped by the police from visiting the affected areas due to prohibitory orders.

In response to Banerjee’s criticism, retired Justice L. Narasimha Reddy told reporters that anyone should be allowed to go to the area if there was nothing to hide.

The Calcutta High Court also heard a plea by the BJP, demanding an NIA probe into the violence in Howrah and Hooghly districts.