Wednesday witnessed a violent outburst during the Ram Navami procession in West Bengal's Murshidabad. Seven individuals were reportedly injured during the clashes and have since been admitted to Murshidabad Medical College Hospital with minor injuries. The area remains fraught with tension and administration has imposed Section 144 in the affected region, with additional security forces on standby.
According to Bengal Police, the conflict occurred in the area of Shaktipur, which is now under Section 144. Given the anxiety in the situation, reinforcements have been arranged. To date, no new clashes have been reported tonight and the condition is currently under control.
Another clash in East Medinipur, four wounded
Ram Navami in Murshidabad wasn't the sole flashpoint; similar disturbances took place in East Medinipur. Stone-pelting marred the procession here and resulted in four injuries. The BJP alleges that its Ram Navami rally was targeted. Police had to resort to baton charges and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The BJP claims that during the melee, police detained five of its activists. BJP candidate, Agnimitra Paul, arrived on the scene, demanding the release of the detained workers. Paul led the BJP supporters in burning tires and staging a night-long protest on the Belda-Kanthi highway. Additionally, the BJP office in Nandigram is also accused of being set on fire.
The Bengal BJP alleges that the rally was attacked with stones and shops were vandalized. Opposition leader in Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, stated that a peaceful Ram Navami procession was being conducted with administrative consent, but was disrupted by mischief-makers in Shaktipur, Murshidabad. Surprisingly, even the police, under the Mamata government, collaborated with the troublemakers and launched tear gas at the devotees, purportedly to thwart the rally.
On this matter, Suvendu Adhikari has written to the Governor of West Bengal, requesting intervention in controlling the law and order situation in the state and for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the violence during the Ram Navami procession.
Adhikari suggests that provocative speeches by the Chief Minister led to the assaults on the Ram Navami processions in various regions of Bengal. Such speeches embolden troublemakers, bolstering their confidence that the administration will not act against them. He has petitioned Governor C V Ananda Bose for immediate intervention and called for an NIA investigation into the incident. Moreover, Adhikari has urged the Election Commission to take action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her incendiary speech.
What transpired during the Ram Navami parade?
In the Shaktipur area of Murshidabad, a Ram Navami procession was underway on April 17. People from their rooftops pelted the parade with stones, sparking chaos. The disturbance escalated to such an extent that police had to engage in baton charging and deploy tear gas to scatter the crowd. During this turmoil, an explosion occurred, injuring a woman.
