Though violence-hit pockets at Raniganj-Asansol region cried out for quick restoration of order which still eludes the busy coal belt despite heavy police bandobast, the Bengal Government on Wednesday turned down Centre’s offer to deploy paramilitary forces saying its own police force was sufficiently capable of handling the grim situation.
The Centre had earlier asked the State Government to submit a report on the incidents of communal clashes on Ram Navami day. “The Centre has expressed desire to send paramilitary forces to Raniganj but the final decision on this will be taken by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” said senior Minister Partho Chatterjee.
“Our police force is adequately equipped to handle such situations as we have handled similar situation earlier too. Section 144 has been clamped in large parts of the area in and Rapid Action Force conducted route marches in the region where offices, schools and other establishments remained closed for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
According to reports, New Delhi was likely to send a central team to inspect the ground realities in the riot hit areas where two persons were killed, many including senior police officers were injured and several houses, shops and vehicles were set ablaze by miscreants during a clash between two communities on Ram Navami.
The Centre’s gesture came in the wake of reported telephonic discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and local MP Babu Supriyo who apprised him of the situation. In a rare incident, a senior IPS officer suffered damaging injuries when his right forearm was nearly blown off in a bomb attack even as he was trying to control a crowd gone berserk. He is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Durgapur.
As scenes continued to shift between Kolkata and Delhi where BJP leader Prakash Javdekar likened Mamata Banerjee to emperor Nero who played flute when Rome burnt (questioning the timing of visit to Delhi when Raniganj was literally burning), the State Government retorted in equal measures saying “the Chief Minister is in Delhi to save India and its people from the BJP.” Amid trading of charges between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress, the State Government spiked Governor KN Tripathi’s move to visit the Durgapur hospital where the IPS officer was recuperating. Though a livid Governor would not mince words, sources said the Home department informed his office that the environment would not be conducive for him to visit the area as it would be difficult to provide him with adequate security forces currently engaged in neighbouring Raniganj.
According to reports, the Governor had expressed his desire to visit the hospital to see the ailing IPS officer but the State Home department cited security reasons to spike his visit saying it would be difficult for the Government to provide adequate security forces as they were manning the violence-hit areas of Raniganj. The Governor subsequently postponed his visit, the sources said.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha who met the Governor on Wednesday wondered what prevented the Government from deploying central forces in Raniganj. “For Darjeeling, Mamata Banerjee even went to the court to get CPF deployed when the situation in that place was not as serious as it is here,” he added.