Malda has come under NIA radar following Sunday’s violence when unruly mobs belonging to a particular community attacked people, torched police stations, burnt down dozens of vehicles, including a bus and a BSF jeep, and blockaded National Highway 34 — all in the garb of a protest rally staged against what they claimed an uncouth remark made by a leader of another community in UP against their prophet.
While more forces were moved into the trouble-torn areas of Sujapur-Kaliachak villages some 25 km from the district headquarters, the security agencies have started investigating the role of, “anti-national elements and alien agencies including the ISI,” sources said.
More so because of the pattern of the violence which was, mainly directed against the men in uniform, a senior police officer maintained adding however that the “situation despite being tense is under control.” What happened on Sunday was not a sudden spurt but a “pre-planned and well-charted affair directed by some seasoned minds engaged in a bigger conspiracy,” police brass said adding that the attack could have taken place in retaliation of the stepped-up security measures along the border area that had to a “great extent dealt a blow on border smuggling in arms, contraband goods and fake currency.”
On January 3, large crowd had gathered near the NH-34 to protest against a stray speech made by Kamlesh Tewari a leader of ABHMS somewhere in Uttar Pradesh. Even as it marched down the road it went violent and torched a bus, attacked a BSF jeep, which was passing that way and then attacked the local police station torching it down. They did not even spare the BDO office. A number of police vehicles were burnt down and men in uniform were beaten up.
Houses belonging to the members of a particular community who are in minority in that area were burnt and they were forced to leave the place. They had not returned since, a source said.