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Bengal cops probe conspiracy angle behind clash in South 24 Parganas
Police said 40 people have been arrested in connection with a violent clash between two groups in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday
KOLKATA: The West Bengal police said on Thursday that it was investigating whether an illegal construction, which triggered a clash between two groups on June 11 afternoon, was part of a conspiracy to fuel communal tension in South 24 Parganas district.
“A clash between two groups occurred yesterday afternoon in Rabindra Nagar police station area and adjacent areas of Nadial over illegal construction and plantation on govt land without any permission whatsoever and replacing an existing shop in the process, resulting in brick-batting at police and isolated vandalism in the vicinity. Whether the illegal construction was planned and designed as a conspiracy to fuel communal tension is also being probed in all seriousness,” the West Bengal police said in a post on X.
The trouble erupted on Wednesday afternoon after an attempt to plant Tulsi saplings in front of a temple on a pavement where a Muslim fruit seller used to run his shop.
About 10 police personnel were injured when they tried to stop the two groups. Several shops were ransacked by the mob on Wednesday.
Rahul Goswami, superintendent of police (SP) Diamond Harbour police district, told a news conference on Thursday that at least 40 people involved in the attacks had been arrested till Thursday afternoon. “Raids will continue. On Wednesday evening we also arrested a Rabindra Nagar resident named Nabin Chandra Roy and four others when they were carrying bomb making materials on three motorcycles,” Goswami said.
The police officer said Roy had claimed to be a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that the bomb making materials were procured for self-defence. “We are investigating the role of Roy and his associates. Similarly, the role of Muslims involved in the violence is also under scanner,” Goswami said.
“Since the controversial site is very close to the Rabindra Nagar police station, the role of local policemen will be reviewed as well,” Goswami added.
The RSS countered the claim, saying Roy was never its member.
“We never had any member called Nabin Chandra Roy. Should the police go by his claims or probe his antecedents instead? Six political murders took place in the Diamond Harbour police district after the 2021 assembly polls. Did the police hold a press conference like this after those incidents?” Jishnu Basu, the RSS general secretary in south Bengal region, told HT.
In its post on X, the West Bengal police said the situation was now peaceful and under control. “Prohibitory orders under 163 BNSS have been imposed in Rabindra Nagar PS area in the interest of peace. Representatives of all political parties or groups are advised not to visit the area till 163 BNSS is in place,” the state police said.
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, has demanded that the case be handed over to the federal National Investigation Agency (NIA) and central police forces be deployed in the area.
“The @WBPolice’s statement is a shameful attempt to whitewash a blatant communal attack on Hindus by Jihadists, reducing it to a mere ‘clash between two groups’....” Adhikari wrote on X.
BJP legislators protested inside the state assembly and staged a walk-out after assembly speaker Biman Banerjee refused to admit two adjournment motions moved over the Rabindra Nagar violence.
Some BJP legislators met governor CV Ananda Bose as well. “The governor assured the delegation that their concerns will be duly noted and taken forward with appropriate authorities for immediate necessary action and report,” the Raj Bhavan said in a statement.
BJP state president Sukanta Majundar tried to visit Maheshtala but was stopped by the police. He was later detained by police for trying to stage a demonstration near the residence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that the incident was part of a larger conspiracy by BJP to incite violence across Bengal
“When an active BJP and RSS worker has been arrested with explosive materials, BJP leaders such as Suvendu Adhikari, Sukanta Majumdar and Amit Malviya are making provocative statements to incite unrest,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
