As Opposition raises heat, Mamata sets a date for Murshidabad visit, TMC prepares ground

On Tuesday, Mamata announced that she will visit the violence-affected areas of Murshidabad in the first week of May.

Mamata said “outsiders” were responsible for the riots that convulsed Murshidabad. “The violence was unfortunate. We don’t want riots. Some outsiders orchestrated it, but we will expose them and their conspiracy,” she said at an official event in Medinipur town, a day after she laid the foundation stone for JSW’s Rs 16,000-crore 1,600 MW thermal power plant at Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district.

The CM is set to inaugurate Jagannath temple, one of her most ambitious projects, in Digha in Purba Medinipur by the end of this month. The Digha temple is being built by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) in the likeness of Puri’s famous Jagannath temple.

On Monday, while visiting Murshidabad’s riot-hit areas such as Dhulian and Samserganj, state BJP president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumder targeted the TMC chief for not visiting the district so far. “She (Mamata) should have been here first to see the plight of Hindus. This would have given confidence to the people. Is she only the Chief Minister for Muslims in Murshidabad? She is the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Hindus lack confidence to stay here. It was important for the CM to meet with Hindus here. She should come and visit these places,” he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Baharampur MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “If state Director General of Police (DGP) can come to Murshidabad, why not the CM? She should have come here early when violence was spreading. She may come here by helicopter and see what actually happened.”

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim alleged, “Both the TMC and BJP are working as per the RSS’s script. They are playing a dangerous game to divide people,” claiming that Mamata could not crack down on rioters like former CMs Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee or Jyoti Basu had done.

Some observers, however, pointed out that “Mamata takes the decision to visit a strife-torn belt after making her own political assessment, especially after ensuring that the situation has come under control”, drawing a parallel with the Sandeshkhali episode. Several months after Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas was hit by unrest, Mamata visited the area in December 2024, when she called upon its residents to put the past behind and move forward towards progress and development.

“In the case of Murshidabad too, the CM will go after restoration of normalcy. While the administration is working to ensure it, she is taking stock of the situation daily. That is why she said she will visit the district in May,” said an observer.

A senior TMC leader said, “After the April 11 incident, the situation was not in favour of Mamata. Muslims were angry because of police firing and Hindus were agitated because of violence in their areas. So, Mamata refrained from visiting the district so far to avoid any possible protests from both sides that could have fuelled unrest.”

The family members of Chandan Das and his father Harogobindo Das, who were hacked to death by a mob in Jafrabad during the riots, have refused to accept the state government’s compensation of Rs 10 lakh announced by the CM.

The third fatality of April 11 violence was Ejaz Ahmed, who was killed allegedly in police firing.

Several locals in Dhulian and Samserganj areas demanded a permanent BSF camp there during Governor C V Ananda Bose’s visit there last Saturday, charging that they did not have trust on the state police.

During his two-day visit to Murshidabad and Malda, Ananda Bose made frequent stops to interact with affected people and inspect ransacked or charred houses. He also met with the family members of the slain father-son duo in Jafrabad.

In Baharampur, the Governor said, “Since the Central forces’ deployment, the situation is under control… What happened is barbaric. This should never happen again.”

Ananda Bose went ahead with his Murshidabad visit after turning down the CM’s request not to visit violence-hit areas now.

The TMC has mobilised its leaders, including MLAs and MPs, and workers across Murshidabad to ensure restoration of peace and normalcy in the district, which has been its stronghold.

From holding peace meetings to visiting violence-hit areas, TMC MLAs Amir Islam and Manirul Islam and MP Khalilur Rehman are engaged in leading this exercise. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam is also camping in the belt and is reaching out to all sections.