The violence that had rocked the Murshidabad district over the past few days and displaced hundreds of people who have taken shelter in the neighbouring Malda district has prompted political parties to act and stand in support of them.
While on one hand, a delegation of the CPM led by party’s state secretary Mohammad Salim reached the house of Haragobinda Das in Jafarabad in Murshidabad and met the bereaved family members on Friday, BJP and Trinamul leaders in Malda, on the other hand, visited the relief camp where the displaced people are staying.
During the violence, attackers killed Haragobinda and his son Chandan, whom the CPM claimed were their supporters.
“It was a planned hooliganism to spread riots. The police miserably failed to handle the situation. We have spoken with locals and have found that people are not against each other, but some hooligans perpetrated the violence,” Salim said over the phone after his visit.
The team also went to Kashemnagar, a village under the Suti police station, where Ezaz Ahmed, a youth, died after he was shot during the violence.
In Malda, Sukanta Majumdar, the state BJP president, went to Parlalpur, a village in Kaliachak-III block, where some of the affected residents of Murshidabad have taken shelter. They had crossed the Ganga in country boats and are staying at the school.
Majumdar spoke to families and handed over some cash to them.
“These people are in trauma. They were indiscriminately attacked, and many of them are homeless. We will move to the court, seeking compensation for them,” he said.
He was also critical of Trinamool.
“Mamata Banerjee did not provide land for the installation of fences along the India-Bangladesh border. The bordering districts are in vulnerable conditions. The affected residents are not relying on the state government or the state police. We have opened a helpline to stand in support of such people,” Majumdar added.
The violence in Murshidabad has prompted the Trinamool leadership in Malda to reach out to the people who have taken shelter in Parlalpur and extend support to them.
Also, considering that Malda is a district with over 50 percent minority population, the party has taken the initiative to approach residents across the district and ask them to maintain amity and peace.
Considering the current situation, we have decided to keep the anti-wakf amendment act movement at a low pitch. We are appealing to people to abstain from violence. Also, our leaders and workers are regularly in touch with those who are staying in Parlalpur,” said Sabina Yeasmin, a minister of state and an MLA from Malda.
Isha Khan Choudhury, the Congress MP from Malda south — Farakka and Samserganj in Murshidabad, is under his Lok Sabha constituency — also criticised Trinamool.
“The TMC leaders and workers could not control the mob while the police had no inkling of such violence. They cannot evade their responsibilities. We are meeting people regularly and urging them to maintain peace,” said the MP.