The ADG (law & order) Jawed Shamim said over 200 people has been arrested in the incidents of violence in Murshidabad and Malda.
“More than 200 have been arrested and multiple suo moto FIRs have been filed. More FIRs will be filed as the people start returning to their homes,” Shamim said.
The ADG (law & order) said the process of bringing back those who fled from their homes to Malda’s Baishnabnagar and other places is on.
“The process started on Sunday with the return of 19 families. We expect the process will be expedited and all the people will return to their homes,” Shamim said. “In the last 36 hours there has been no fresh instance of violence. Patrolling, picketing, and confidence building measures are in place. Our priority is to restore normalcy to the affected areas.”
The acting DGP Rajeev Kumar and other senior police officers have been camping in the affected areas as the administration made efforts to bring down the violence following the protests over Waqf Amendment in Malda and Murshidabad.
Three people have died and several others injured in the violence which raged in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas since Friday afternoon but there was no report of any fresh incident from anywhere in the district.
Shamim said internet services have been suspended to stop rumours.
“Rumour-mongering is the biggest hurdle to restore peace and normalcy. Peaceful doesn’t mean normalcy has returned. Rumours are still being spread through social media. In some areas of Murshidabad while the internet was suspended, the network was available from Birbhum and Malda across the border. People congregate when rumours are spread and that could escalate the situation,” he said.
The Bengal police have started a separate probe into the murder of the father-son duo of Haragobindo Das and Chandan in Dhulian’s Jaffrabad.
“Those who carried out the crime, those who were present none will be spared irrespective of their political affiliation. We have started the process of identifying those who committed the murders and those who had assembled there for whatever purpose. In the other cases too whoever was responsible for the violence will be traced and brought to book,” said Shamim.