Two groups clashed in Beldanga, Murshidabad district of West Bengal over an alleged objectionable message displayed on a digital board at a temporary gate near a Kartik Puja pandal, leading the authorities to impose prohibitory orders in the area, police said on Sunday.
Fifteen individuals who were were part of the incident arrested, and internet services were suspended in the affected zone. The clash resulted in minor injuries, vandalism of shops and houses, and the use of crude bombs, with police resorting to a lathi charge to disperse the mobs. A police vehicle was also attacked during the unrest.
The BJP has criticised the administration of Mamata Banerjee for inaction as the party claimed, the miscreants “belonged to a certain group”. Trouble began late Saturday night when a group of youths were assembled near a Kartik puja pandal. During the occasion, an objectionable message hurting their sentiments flashed on the digital display board on the gate erected for the festival.
A police officer added that another group gathered there soon and both sides threw stones at each other. The clash later erupted in vandalising several shops and houses as well as the use of crude bombs. Amid this, a police vehicle also came under attack resulting in them to revert by launching a lathi charge against the mob.
However, by early morning, the situation was finally brought under control but tension still remained in the area. Shops were still shut down and the police and Rapid Action Force personnel patrolled different pockets.
Internet Services Suspended
A senior police official stated that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed in Beldanga and the nearby areas of Kazisaha and Begurban, with internet services suspended in the region.
The Bhagirathi Express, en route to Murshidabad town from Sealdah, was delayed for several hours as the clashes unfolded near the station, the official added.
BJP state president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar criticised the state government for its alleged inaction, claiming in a post on X: “The state administration has failed to protect people as miscreants….. have let loose a reign of anarchy in the entire area. Is this part of a deeper plan to turn West Bengal into Bangladesh?” He called upon the people of Beldanga not to “fall prey to anyone’s provocation and urged the police to bring peace in the area.”
সাম্প্রদায়িক মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর নির্লজ্জ তোষণের রাজত্বে গভীর রাতেও জ্বলছে মুর্শিদাবাদের বেলডাঙা। বাংলাদেশের কায়দায় চলছে হিন্দুনিধন যজ্ঞ! দিকে দিকে নিরীহ হিন্দুদের বেছে বেছে মারধর, বাড়িতে বাড়িতে অগ্নিসংযোগ, বোমাবাজি চলছে। এমনকি বাড়িতে বলপূর্বক ঢুকে নিরীহ মহিলাদেরও দেওয়া হচ্ছে… pic.twitter.com/T3ikjhnHc2
— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) November 16, 2024
In response, a senior TMC leader assured that the situation is now under control, with the administration taking necessary steps to identify and apprehend those responsible. The leader also accused the BJP of engaging in “divisive, communal” politics amidst the crisis.
