Rioters will face action: CM Mamata & Governor Bose

On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken with Governor Bose. On Tuesday, the Governor Bose visited Rishra in Hooghly district where clashes took place on Sunday as well as Monday evening and took stock of the situation from police and railway officials.

Speaking to those affected by the clashes, the Governor said that efforts are on to put an end to such incidents of violence. “At first I will see, analyse, access, decide and then there will be solid action on part of law enforcement agencies. We will never allow hooligans, goons to take law in their hands,” he said.

“Bengal has been suffering these kinds of criminal incidents of politics for a long time, we will put an end to this. The Government of India, state government, political parties, media and common people will join hands to see that mobocracy is rooted out,” he added.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in Digha in Purba Medinipur district on Tuesday, accused the BJP of “orchestrating violence” during the Ram Navami processions in the state and alleged that the Opposition party was bringing goons from outside to create trouble in the state.

“The BJP is behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah. They brought in hired goondas from other states to unleash violence here. This is not in our culture. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. But rioters have no religion, they are just political goons. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm,” the chief minister said at a public meeting.

Violence erupted in Shibpur in Howrah district on Thursday evening during Ram Navami processions. Since then, clashes have taken place in several parts of the state, including Uttar Dinajpur, and now in Hooghly.

Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark in Bihar that rioters will be hanged upside down, Banerjee, without taking his name, said, “The BJP said if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their goondas who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home.”

The chief minister and her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), have been accusing the BJP of fomenting trouble by organising Ram Navami processions since Thursday. “Why will the processions continue for five days after Ram Navami? Do it on the day of the festival. We have never had objection towards the same. But they cannot do rallies with guns and bombs, or without necessary permission from the police. They are deliberately entering minority areas to incite violence and create tension,” she reiterated on Tuesday.

The chief minister said she had never opposed Ram Navami processions in the state but BJP leaders were bringing in bulldozers, tractors, petrol bombs, guns and swords to these rallies. “These rioters have no religion, their only identity is that they are political goons hired by the BJP. They are destroying the name of Lord Ram. I am also a Hindu, a follower of Swami Vivekananda’s Hinduism. I don’t believe in BJP’s Hindutva,” she added.

Urging people to remain alert on April 6 when Hanuman Jayanti will be observed, she said: “On April 6, they are planning to do another round of violence. I have asked the district magistrates and the police to be alert. Not just Bengal, they have created this scenario throughout the country. I appeal to my Hindu brothers to make sure that no violence takes place against minorities during Ramzan. No one wants these cases of atrocities and violence,” she said.

The CM said that as people in Bengal didn’t take part in violence, the BJP has started bringing in people from outside the state to incite violence. “The West Bengal government is making all efforts to restore the livelihood of those affected by the violence. We had recently passed a law where losses suffered during organised protests would be compensated by attaching and auctioning off the alleged vandals’ properties,” she added.