At least 19 people, mostly women, who had fled violence-hit Samserganj and taken refuge at a Malda school have returned home within 24 hours after police reassurances about safety and livelihood.
However, after returning on Monday, many among them found their homes demolished or burnt down.
“Where will we live now? The streets are the only place left for us. There’s nothing but ashes where our home once stood,” said Dipali Roy, 30, who had come with her husband Chitta to a community lunch organised by the district administration.
“We have no home and no income. My husband’s cycle repair shop at Betbona (in Samserganj) too has been torched,” she said.
Around 150 houses in certain Samserganj localities were torched or vandalised on Friday in the communal violence sparked by protests against the newly passed Waqf Amendment Act on Friday.
Many families from areas like Betbona began fleeing on Sunday with at least 170 people, mostly women, taking shelter at Parlalpur High School in Malda’s Kaliachak-III block. Many others fled to the homes of their relatives at Pakur in Jharkhand.
A source said the exodus had become a political issue with the BJP highlighting “the plight of Hindus”. This prompted the state government and the police to scurry to persuade the families to return.
“The situation is completely under control. The state police, along with the BSF and the CRPF, have been deployed in every part of the area,” Supratim Sarkar, ADG (South Bengal), told reporters.
Sarkar said: “Shops have started reopening, and the situation is gradually improving. Among those who fled, 19 have already returned. We have learnt that over 100 more people will be coming back shortly.”
He added: “The state administration will ensure security and provide all necessary assistance to those returning.”
A team of district officials led by additional district magistrate Dinanarayan Ghosh visited the affected areas on Monday and distributed relief materials, including tarpaulins, utensils and clothing, to those whose homes are damaged or burnt down.
“We are providing the basic requirements immediately, and will return with more relief materials as soon as possible,” Ghosh said.
Reports said rioters had damaged several tube wells and the local administration had begun repairing them.
The relief efforts have, however, done little to ease the victims’ suffering.
“Where will we hang the tarpaulin? Should we sleep on the ashes of our belongings? The government must build new houses for us,” said Binodini Singha, whose house has been burnt down.
Fear still lingers in parts of Samserganj and Dhulian.
Many residents of Betbona — one of the worst-affected areas — described to The Telegraph on Monday afternoon the horror of the violence they had seen and how they had barely escaped with their lives.
“When we returned, there was nothing left. Our cash and jewellery had been looted and our homes burnt down. We had fled to Malda because we had nothing,” said Tiloka Mondal, 50, one of the 19 who returned on Monday.
“We’re now eating at the community kitchen and will sleep on the streets tonight.”
BSF additional director-general Ravi Gandhi arrived in Samserganj on Monday afternoon with a large contingent and held a meeting with state police to chalk out ways of restoring normalcy. Gandhi said the BSF would work jointly with the police.
A source said a group of people threw stones at a BSF-police patrol but a large contingent of central forces quickly contained the situation.
Apart from the BSF, eight companies of other central paramilitary forces — including four Rapid Action Force units of the CRPF, specialised in riot control — have been deployed in Samserganj and are patrolling the affected areas.
“We’ve launched confidence-building drives and area domination measures. We’ll ensure there is no more displacement and help those who have left to return. We are committed to restoring normalcy,” CRPF inspector-general B.K. Sharma said.
Livestock, including cows and goats, remained locked inside many of the houses abandoned by their occupants, sources said. An RAF team rescued a cow trapped inside one such house on Monday.
Bapi Ghosh, a mathematics teacher at a private school, said people were still fearful.
“We are afraid of what will happen once the central forces and the police leave. We can’t live without proper protection. We demand a permanent CRPF camp in our village,” Ghosh said.
Samserganj swarmed with CRPF and BSF personnel on Monday, with forces posted at every corner. A police officer, however, admitted that it would take time to restore normalcy.
The police are scanning CCTV footage to identify rioters. So far, 200 people have been arrested.