Violence continues to spread in West Bengal, without any death, on Sunday despite repeated paid broadcast by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to maintain peace. From parts of Howrah, Murshidabad and adjacent areas of Kolkata, the protest spread in Nadia, North 24 Paraganas and parts of Barddhaman.
Violence spread with protests and thus internet data services were stopped in six districts. The violence was described as “largely sporadic” by the officials as it was confined to setting fire on vehicles, damaging few trains and shops. President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh blamed the Chief Minister “for protecting Bangladeshi extremist Muslims who instigated violence” while Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders said BJP is organizing “extremist Muslims.”
Many hundreds of protesters burnt tyres and blocked roads at Raghunathganj in Murshidabad, Kamdevpur and Amdanga in North 24 Paraganas for long hours with no policemen in sight. At Kamdebpur the agitators could be seen heating food from wooden logs which were set on fire.
Slogans against Citizenship Act were heard and many were holding placards condemning it. At Manikgram station in Murshidabad, the vehicle of Railway Police was set on fire, while many trains– particularly the ones going or coming from south India– were delayed or terminated for the day.
By mid-day, as the violence spread, internet date services were stopped in six districts, partially or fully. The districts are Murshidabad, Malda, Howrah, North Dinajpur and South and North 24 Paraganas. Services were shut at Basirhat and Barasat subdivisions of North 24 Paraganas and parts of Baruipur and Canning subdivisions of South 24 Paraganas.“Outsiders are conspiring to instigate communal violence in the State” and thus the government is “forced” to shut down internet services as “a precautionary measure,” a government statement said.
Many express trains, such as Delhi to Dibrugarh Brahmaputra express, were cancelled and passengers were stranded at various stations. There was an outcry from the distressed passengers who were seen crowded in the Kharagpur Station in station master’s officer office to protest the late and cancelled trains. An Eastern Railway statement noted, Agartala-Kanchenjungha Express was “cancelled due to on-going public obstruction on Malda Town– New Jalpaiguri Section of North East Frontier Railway.”
Movement of local trains was affected at many places by “people agitating on the railway tracks,” the statement said. Two trains were damaged at Akra on Sealdah-Budge Budge line adjacent to Kolkata. People demonstrated at Nungi, next to Akra; the trains were stopped for long hours between Barasat-Hasnabad of Sealdah Division. Train movement under Diamond Harbour Section under Sealdah was also affected. Many express lines have been stopped such as Delhi to Dibrugarh Brahmaputra express. There was an outcry from the distressed passengers who were seen crowded in the Kharagpur Station in station master’s officer office to protest the late and cancelled trains.
Later in the day, senior leaders participated in multiple rallies brought out by TMC against the Citizenship Act. Carrying posters and placards, TMC members shouted slogans against the BJP government and demanded that the new Act be scrapped.
"We want this divisive Citizenship Act to be immediately scrapped. Our state government has already said that it will not be implemented in Bengal, so we appeal to the people not to take law into their hands, and protest peacefully," senior TMC leader and education minister Partha Chatterjee said. However, a section of TMC leaders also are apprehensive about making an issue out of Citizenship Act. A south Kolkata councilor told The Hindu that there are very few Muslims in his ward and thus “it may not be wise to rally for a long time blocking vehicles.” Ms Banerjee will hit the streets from Monday in protest the law and participate in multiple rallies over next 72 hours.
(With PTI inputs)
