Guv asks Mamata to restore peace, Shah sends MPs to assess situation
The fierce dogfight between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress went on unabated in the Bhatpara-Jagaddal-Kakinara region of the State. After Thursday’s alleged police firing that claimed two lives, violent crowds on Friday defied prohibitive orders and clashed with the police hurling brickbats and bombs prompting Bengal Governor KN Tripathi to ask the State Government to ensure peace at the earliest.
Local BJP MP Arjun Singh held the State Government responsible for the fiery situation in the area and warned that if the TMC did not stop its dirty game to forcibly take control of the area then Bhatpara will become another Nandigram.”
The locals hurled bombs and chased away policemen led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police who escorted the funeral procession of the Thursday’s victims of alleged police firing.
In Delhi, BJP president Amit Shah expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of two persons in Bhatpara in “police firing” and deputed a delegation of three MPs to visit the place and submit a report on the matter. BJP MPs SS Ahluwalia, Satpal Singh and BD Ram will be submitting a report to Shah after visiting the place, a party statement said.
While Ahluwalia is an MP from the State, Singh and Ram are former police officers besides being MP from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand respectively.
Bhatpara comes under the Barrackpore parliamentary constituency where BJP strongman Arjun Singh defeated sitting TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi. Barrackpore has witnessed at least half-a-dozen political murders in the past fortnight.
Bhatpara has been a TMC stronghold till Arjun Singh was with that party. But after his joining the saffron outfit, the Bengal ruling outfit has been finding it difficult to retain its base in the area.
While the police remained tightlipped on the Friday’s violence, the Governor directed the administration to immediately pull back the situation and bring normalcy in the area. “It is the duty of the administration to bring peace in the area and they are expected to do it immediately,” the Governor said adding “there is a need to bring peace not only in Bhatpara but in the entire State.”
Reacting to the situation Arjun Singh attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for creating disturbance in the area to teach the locals a lesson for voting for the BJP. State Minister JP Mullick, however, said, “Arjun Singh is a local don and is creating trouble.”
Various regions of Bengal had been witnessing intermittent clashes between the supporters of the BJP and the TMC. Bhatpara, Coochbehar and Birbhum have seen maximum violence in the aftermath of the general elections that saw the BJP winning 18 out of 42 seats. The TMC won 22 seats while the Congress won 2.
“The people were taking part in the funeral procession of the two victims of Thursday’s firing when an infuriated mob of locals and BJP supporters started pelting stones, wielding rods and sticks at the Rapid Action Force,” forcing the police to retaliate firing tear gas shells to disperse the violent mob, locals said.
At least 16 people were arrested for violating Section 144 after Friday’s violence police said.