MAMATA ORDERS PROBE INTO BASIRHAT VIOLENCE
Mamata blames Centre for ‘failing’ to seal Bangladesh border, which she said allowed miscreants to cross over from neighbouring nation
BASIRHAT: As violence-torn Basirhat inches towards normalcy, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday ordered a judicial inquiry to look into the source of instigation that led to the communal violence in the town a week ago.
“Two national TV channels showed clips of a riot that took place in Comilla in Bangladesh and a clip from a Bhojpuri film to pass them off as (incidents emerging from the) communal violence in Basirhat,” the chief minister said while addressing the media in Kolkata, where state BJP leaders hit the streets in protest after a team of three party MPs was stopped by the police from visiting the riot-hit areas.
“With so many people posting instigating messages and doctored photos and videos during these days, Facebook has turned into a fakebook. Also, the Centre failed to seal the Bangladesh border. We have information that miscreants had crossed over from across the border,” CM said.
The town in North 24 Parganas district, after being in the news for about a week, began showing signs of normal routine returning from Saturday, largely due to the initiatives taken by local leaders from the Muslim and Hindu communities who came together to restore peace.
Acting upon instructions from the CM, senior police officials supervised the peace process, which began on Friday afternoon after a meeting called by inspector general of police Ajay Ranade. It was attended by leaders from both communities, with Haji Bhutto and Bapi Sen entrusted with the task of leading the joint mission.
“It was decided at the meeting that two surveillance teams consisting of Muslim and Hindu youths will be formed. They will guard the Kali temple and the mosque near Trimohini road intersection in Basirhat town. These two places of worship can be targeted if anyone plans fresh trouble,” Bhutto told HT.
Sen, who represents the Kali temple committee, said the team will work in coordination with the police so that no outsider belonging to either of the communities can enter Basirhat and cause trouble.
Babu Gazi, a local Congress councillor, told HT that since the violence has affected life and livelihood of both Muslims and Hindus, it was absolutely necessary to take a step that could send a strong message to the rioters.
“Had the district administration taken some initiative in time, the violence would not have spread to so many areas in the district. But what’s done is done. We have to start with a clean slate,” Gazi said.
State officials said they plan to ask former Calcutta HC judge Saumitra Pal to head the panel that will probe the reasons that led to the flare-up on July 2.