Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked governor C.V. Ananda Bose to defer his visit to the unrest-singed pockets of Murshidabad, and said he could go there once normality was restored.

But the governor has rejected the chief minister’s request after meeting some purported riot victims brought by the BJP to Raj Bhavan.

“My appeal is that, other than local people, none of us should aggravate the situation by making visits right now. The administration is doing its best, carrying out confidence-building measures. Peace has come back. I, too, could have gone, but why did I not? I will when the time is right,” she told journalists at Nabanna, the state secretariat.

“If I go, others, too, will want to go. The law should apply equally to all, it cannot be discriminatory. I request the governor to wait a few more days,” the chief minister said, adding that members of the state women’s commission also wanted to visit Murshidabad district, but she asked them to wait a few more days, till people
regained confidence.

“The people there were tortured by people who came from outside. A few in uniform (implying the BSF) were also involved… not from our side. They’re threatening people.”

After another diatribe against Union home minister Amit Shah and his party for their alleged role in fomenting tension, the Trinamool Congress chief said it was everyone’s responsibility to maintain peace. Mamata said she believed that the common people from any religion did not trigger riots, and that was done by a handful of criminals with or without political backing.

“Nowadays, many things can happen with money…. We have good people and bad. There is no dearth of leaders who seem good, but actually, they are not so. Some political leaders exploit such situations. Everyone should be able to live in peace,” she said.

“This is not the time or the place for politics, for you to polarise voters. I have seen these games before elections, I am familiar with them. Some are unable to identify these games in time, I am not one of them. The entire thing is being orchestrated by agencies and the person behind it, I mentioned his name yesterday,” she added, referring to Shah.

Bose, however, said later that he had no plans to defer the visit.

“I will certainly visit Murshidabad. I will go to the field to see for myself the realities. I will have an objective view of the matter,” he told journalists after meeting some “victims” of the Murshidabad violence, brought to him by state BJP president
Sukanta Majumdar.

“The situation has been brought under control. We should take further steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future. People from the area have requested a BSF camp there,” added Bose.

Majumdar said outside Raj Bhavan that Bose agreed to the BJP’s request to personally visit the affected areas for a first-hand assessment of the situation on the ground.

“We asked him to first go and see. Then, whatever stern measures need to be taken, he ought to take. We asked him to ascertain what steps could be taken according to the Constitution, and decide accordingly,” said the junior Union minister.

Sources said Nabanna closed the officers-in-charge of Suti and Samserganj police stations, Bijan Roy and Shiba Prasad Ghosh, respectively. Subrata Ghosh, the inspector-in-charge of Bhupatinagar, was brought in to head Samserganj, while Supriyo Ranjan Majhi from East Burdwan’s Sadar Traffic Guard was brought in to head Suti.

Earlier in the day, a 19-member SIT formed by Nabanna visited the affected areas of Samserganj and spoke to the residents. The SIT, led by the state IB’s additional superintendent of police Shantanu Chowdhury, arrived from Calcutta in
the morning.

They held a meeting with the district administration, then went to Jafrabad, where two people were murdered on Saturday.

On Saturday, a father-son duo of the Das family — Haragovinda, 72, and Chandan, 40 — were murdered by goons in Jafrabad. Although Mamata announced compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the next of kin, the Das family refused to accept it.

“We will not take monetary help from the state government. We should be given security instead. Those who have died will not return, and we will not accept money in exchange. We demand security, and a BSF camp here,” said a family member.

According to police sources, a third arrest — a man named Injamul Haque — was made in the double murder case.

After Jafrabad, the SIT went to Banipur, and Betbona, from where many families had crossed the Ganga and taken shelter in the Baishnabdanga area of Malda. The team collected details on families that are still present, on those who left and are yet to return, and those who left but have come back.

In the afternoon, the SIT members went to the shops and malls in the Ghoshpara More area of Dhulian, where much of the vandalism and looting had occurred.

All state-run or aided primary schools, except Dakshin Hijaltala Primary School and Kamalakanta Girls Primary School, have reopened in Dhulian. Although some children didn’t show up, classes were conducted and midday meals were served.