A day ahead of BJP’s grand plans to celebrate Ramnavami in a big way, Bengal police administration has geared up “to handle any eventuality” that might come on account of any sectarian tension, senior officials said.
Getting “specific instruction from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to thwart any kind of nefarious effort to provoke violence”, the police have made massive bandobast in districts as well as in Kolkata, a senior official at the police directorate said.
The Chief Minister had earlier said that she would not tolerate any attempt to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the State. “Stern actions should be taken against those who will try to communalise the situation in the name of religion,” she is said to have instructed the police brass.
The police preparations come in the wake of senior BJP leaders declaring that they would march in Ramnavami processions carrying swords and tridents, said officials.
“I believe in equality of all religions. Just like I participate in Durga Puja, I participate in Eid and Christmas also. I was born in a Hindu family. I do not need lectures in Hinduism from people who use religion for politics,” she told a crowd in West Midnapore, asking people not to believe in rumors.
“Do not believe in rumors” as some people were trying to spread rumors to divide the populace and gain political mileage out of it, she maintained. On Monday she even went to the extent of criticizing “a Union Minister who had reportedly posted in the FB about how Mangalrati (evening prayer) had been stopped at Dakshineshwar “which is not true.”
She rued “it is a pity that these people have started playing politics with the Mother Bhabatarini (Kali).”
Banerjee, who on Tuesday declared Jhargram as the 22nd district of Bengal, said she would continue to fulfill her promises through such works even as she declared a plethora of projects in the new districts.
“We have decided to set aside Rs 200 crore for the development of Jhargram which had long been in the grip of violence (Maoist menace)” she said adding the district would soon get new schools, colleges, stadiums and an archery training centre “considering the fact that the local people are interested in the game of archery.
She said the Government had already recruited about 35,000 people for police jobs in the Jangalmahal districts of Purulia, West Midnapore and Bankura. Jhargram which was a police district was earlier an administrative sub-division under West Midnapore.
Before Jhargram Banerjee had declared Kalimpong as a new district breaking Darjeeling. Similarly she had declared Mirik a hill station in Darjeeling as a new Sub-division. The Chief Minister had earlier promised to declare Asansol as a new district breaking Burdwan.