Cutting short his G-20 summit presence in Darjeeling, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on April 4 returned to Kolkata and visited violence-affected Rishra in State’s Hooghly district.
The Governor spoke to locals and senior police officers and called for peace and said that strict action will be taken against wrongdoers. He emphasised on the phrase “Jio and jeene do” (Live and Let Live) in Hindi and added that mobocracy should be rooted out.
“People (of West Bengal) have the right of peaceful living. That right will certainly be established at any cost. The forces of evil will certainly be contained and destroyed,” he added. The Governor said that there is no scope of difference of opinion as far as the issue of unity of the people is concerned.
“We are all united to curb this trend and assure the people that they can enjoy freedom and peace. Intimidation and violence will be eradicated,” he added.
Also Read | Prohibitory orders clamped in Bengal’s Hooghly after clashes during Ram Navami rally
Violence was reported at Rishra town in Hooghly district on Sunday after a Ram Navami procession was taken out by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Dilip Ghosh. Late on Monday night fresh violence erupted after a mob pelted stones at a train at Rishra Railway Station. The miscreants also set a police vehicle on fire. Train services were affected in Howrah Main line section due to the violence.
Home Ministry seeks report
Meanwhile, following a letter West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar to Union Home Minister Amit Shah sought a report from the State Government on the recent violence.
State’s Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi while speaking to journalists, said that the situation in the State was peaceful except a few isolated “small incidents”.
Security personnel deployed near Rishra railway station amid tension after clashes broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession on Sunday, in Hooghly district on April 4, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
Governor not at par with predecessors, says Suvendu
Despite the Governor’s visit to Rishra, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that he has not played the role which was played by his predecessors Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Jagdeep Dhankhar.
“In the past two decades we have seen two Governors who have shaken the conscience of the people of the state. The sitting Governor has not played the role which Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Jagdeep Dhankhar had played,” Mr. Adhikari said.
The BJP MLA demanded that control of the Shibpur police station and Rishra police station be given to Central forces under Article 355 of the Constitution. Mr. Adhikari also suggested that instead of seeking reports from the State, the Governor should give a report to the Centre. During the day BJP MP Locket Chatterjee was prevented from visiting violence affected areas in Rishra and stopped at Rishra station. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of Cr.P.C remained enforced in parts of Rishra and Srirampore.
Criminal act, says Mamata
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing a public meeting at Digha in Purba Medinipur district accused the BJP of “resorting to bringing people from outside the State to incite violence”.
The Chief Minister also dubbed the violence as a “criminal act”. “Under the garb of Ram Navami procession, they are asking people to carry guns and swords to incite violence. The person who was dancing with a gun during the Ram Navami procession, did Lord Ram tell him to carry weapons during the procession?” Ms. Banerjee asked.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Police on Tuesday arrested 19-year-old Sumit Shaw who was allegedly seen in videos gun-toting during the Ram Navami procession in Howrah on March 30. The accused was arrested from Munger in Bihar. The Trinamool Congress leadership had raised the issue of gun-toting and alleged that the accused had ties with the BJP.
Published - April 04, 2023 01:11 pm IST
