Cops stop Sukanta Majumdar's Shibpur visit

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar was on Sunday prevented from entering Howrah's Shibpur by the police, which witnessed violence during a Ram Navami procession on Thursday night.

Police sources said Majumdar - who had written a complaint to Union Home Minister Amit Shah - wanted to visit Howrah's Shibpur trouble area but was stopped as the administration imposed Section 144 of the CRPC to avoid any intimidation that could lead to harassment situation. “Majumdar was first stopped near the second Hooghly bridge. He was stopped again near the Betaitala area of ​​Shibpur — about a kilometer from the scene of the violence,” a police source said.

However, Majumdar accused the police of playing a biased role to stop him as law enforcement agencies are not stopping Trinamul Congress leaders from holding meetings in troubled pockets of Howrah with scores of people. “The police stopped me to show Section 144. Interestingly, the same law did not apply to Trinamool minister Arup Roy, who was conducting meetings in the affected zones. People in Bengal see that Home and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is working for a particular community, not for everyone,” said Majumdar, who later went to the BJP Howrah party office to hold a press conference.

The Trinamul accused Majumdar of his attempt to visit Howrah as part of the BJP's plan to create communal conflict. “Majumdar should remember that Arup Roy is part of the state government, he is a minister. The government has been trying to pacify the area since day one and Minister Roy's visits were part of that process. The BJP state president was going to support those found with weapons and the motive behind his visit was further intimidation. So no one should compare the visit of state minister and BJP president,” Trinamul state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.

Fresh conflict between the two communities was reported from Hooghly's Rishra on Sunday evening during a procession to celebrate Ram Navami led by BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh. People belonging to the two communities were involved in a clash when a procession with war cries of Jai Sri Ram passed through the area on GT Road. BJP leaders claimed that at least six people, including BJP's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh, were injured in stone pelting from different corners. Several carts selling fruit and shops were set on fire, allegedly by participants in the procession following the attack.

The injured persons were admitted to various hospitals in Rishra and Serampore. “There was a peaceful gathering and the attack came from different sides as he passed through the area in Rishra. We were barely saved from the rain of stones. The police were mum as spectators and a few of them also faced the attack,” stated Dilip Ghosh. A large contingent of police from the Chandernagore Commission reached the spot and brought the situation under control by paying off the mobs by firing tear gas.

Senior Trinamul leaders like Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee reached the spot to pacify the people agitating on the road. “The Ram Navami procession was taken out with bamboo poles and sticks. We have never witnessed such a violent procession in our area. The police will act in accordance with the law,” said Banerjee, MP from Serampore. However, a section of Trinamul leaders said they were not aware why the police allowed such a procession even after two days of Ram Navami. "We don't know why the police allowed such a procession. Recently, we witnessed violence in Howrah and police officers had to learn from this experience,” said the Trinamul leader.