The death of a 30-year-old hawker from Bengal in neighbouring Jharkhand sparked protests on the highway and rail tracks in Murshidabad’s Beldanga on Friday.
The family members of the hawker, Mohammad Alauddin Sheikh, brought his corpse back home and sat on National Highway 12 since Friday morning.
Tyres were burnt and stoned pelted to bring vehicles to a halt on the arterial highway in Bengal that connects Dalkhola in North Dinajpur to Bakkhali in South 24-Parganas, passing through the districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and North 24-Parganas.
Sheikh’s mother, Sona Bibi, said her son sounded terrified when she last spoke with him around 2pm on Wednesday.
“He said he would return home as soon as he got a chance. He was terrified. He would not say what had scared him. I tried to reach him over the phone several times since then, but he would not answer,” Sona Bibi told reporters.
Some of the family members and villagers went to Jharkhand’s Vishrampur and brought his body back to Beldanga’s Sujapur. The villagers alleged Sheikh was assaulted by some residents of Vishrampur for speaking in Bengali.
Sealdah and Lalgola-bound train services were affected as the Beldanga railway station was blocked too.
Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari urged the state director-general of police Rajeev Kumar to send a police contingent and regain control of the area.
“Lawlessness on full display since day before yesterday, right from Farakka to Chakulia is spreading like wildfire. The national highway at Beldanga has been completely obstructed by anti-social elements. Rampant stone-pelting is happening unabated. The trains have been forcefully halted. The area is under complete dominance of hoodlums, hooligans and goons. No sign of police action till now,” Suvendu said. “Thousands of passengers are stranded who are petrified and without food and water, with no respite in sight.”
The BJP leader alleged the control of the state administration was loosening.
“The DGP should mobilise forces and regain control of the area. The message is clear that the state is getting out of the grip of the administration and anti-socials and rioters are taking over, who have the backing of the ruling Trinamool so that they can use the free hand to do whatever and whenever to disrupt normalcy,” Adhikari said.
The villagers turned down requests from the local administration to lift the blockade and insisted on higher officials coming to the spot for concrete assurances.
“The DM, the chief minister should come here and assure that our people will not be killed in other states. We are also citizens of this country,” said a protester.
Before leaving for Siliguri, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the violence in Beldanga was planned.
“Everyone knows who has provoked the violence in Beldanga. Migrant workers from Bengal are being killed in states with double-engine governments. Certain central agencies are behind these incidents,” Mamata said at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport.
“Thousands of people have been served with notices (for SIR hearing). The anguish among the minority community is justified. I would request everyone to maintain peace. We are with the migrant workers from Bengal,” Mamata said.
The former Berhampore MP and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met the deceased’s family members at their Sujapur home.
“I tried to speak to the Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. He is abroad. There are lakhs of workers from Murshidabad who go to work in other states. People from my district are facing threats from RSS and Bajrang Dal members. The state government has a responsibility to protect the residents. I would request the chief minister to speak with the local administration where such incidents are taking place. The state government should consider appointing welfare officers in states where migrant workers from Bengal are present,” Chowdhury said.