Suspected BJP and Sangh Parivar activists allegedly turned violent on Friday during a Ram Navami rally in a locality of Raghunathganj in Murshidabad’s Jangipur, ransacking around 40 shops and setting several of them on fire on Friday afternoon, triggering fresh concerns over communal tension in the region ahead of the Assembly polls.
The flashpoint, Fultala, which is close to the Jangipur subdivisional hospital, is predominantly inhabited by Muslims. Most homes, shops, fruit stalls and food outlets are owned by members of the community.
Sources said tensions began building up when a Ram Navami procession, accompanied by loud music and dancing, passed in front of a mosque located some 200 metres from the Fultala crossing while Friday prayers were underway.
Objections raised by those offering prayers reportedly led to a heated exchange, after which the procession moved towards the Fultala intersection. Eyewitnesses alleged that people from a mob climbed onto the rooftops of Muslim houses and hoisted saffron flags, vandalised and torched shops, and thrashed residents.
The site of the violence was within 500 metres of the Raghunathganj police station. However, local residents claimed that the violence continued for a considerable period in the presence of state police and central forces, who they alleged remained largely inactive. According to them, police resorted to a lathicharge only after repeated appeals when the situation spiralled out of control.
Among those injured was Jangipur municipality employee Abul Sheikh, 30, who suffered serious head injuries on being hit with iron rods. Sheikh said: “I was simply returning home on a motorbike and happened to cross the Ram Navami procession. They caught me, beat me up severely, broke my motorbike and set it on fire. I am now undergoing treatment at Jangipur hospital.”
BJP’s Jangipur president Subal Chandra Ghosh, however, attributed the incident to provocation from “the
other side”.
He said: “Every year we organise a Ram Navami procession which starts from Mackenzie Park and moves around the town, with participation from various Hindu organisations. This time, a group tried to stop the procession and blocked it at several points, which created tension. Our boys also pelted bricks in protest, and people from both sides were injured.”
Superintendent of police, Jangipur police district, Surinder Singh, said: “An unpleasant incident took place in Raghunathganj Bazar this afternoon. Police immediately reached the spot and dispersed the mob after resorting to a lathicharge. An investigation has been initiated with the involvement of both police and central forces. So far, no one has been arrested or detained. Search operations are
underway.”
Jangipur MLA and Trinamool Congress candidate Zakir Hossain alleged a deliberate attempt to engineer communal unrest ahead of polls.
He said: “The BJP has deliberately caused this incident before the elections. The party is facing internal factionalism in Jangipur and is trying to consolidate Hindu votes by creating communal unrest. Without understanding the consequences, they have triggered violence. I demand that the accused be arrested
immediately.”
In recent years, Ram Navami rallies have increasingly acquired political overtones in Bengal’s electoral landscape, with the BJP and its affiliates using the festival as a means of consolidating Hindu identity and expanding their support base in districts with mixed populations. Murshidabad being a minority-dominated district, the timing and nature of the violence have raised fears about a calibrated strategy aimed at polarisation, a political observer said.