At least five policemen, including a woman cop, were injured and several vehicles set on fire as two groups clashed and indulged in stone-pelting on the outskirts of Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon. Police have arrested four persons and said they are carrying out raids to arrest more people responsible for the violence.
According to police, the clash between the two groups began over a dispute involving a temporary shop in Rabindranagar area of Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district, bordering Kolkata. Soon it spread to Nadiyal, which falls under Kolkata Police jurisdiction.
“Five police personnel have been injured, including one SDPO-ranked official, one Inspector, three sub-Inspectors, and one ASI. Four persons have been arrested,” DIG (Presidency Range) Akash Magharia told The Indian Express.
A senior police officer said on Wednesday noon a youth from Nadiyal found that the place in Rabindranagar area, where he had not set up his shop for the past few days, had a Tulsi plant. “His attempt to reclaim the area led to an initial scuffle between two groups. Soon, a large group of people was called in from Nadiyal, leading to a clash between two groups. Initially, police tried to calm down the situation, but it escalated with stone pelting in the area. Some shops were also vandalised,” the officer told The Indian Express.
Around 3:30, the situation further flared up in Nadiyal, which falls under the Kolkata Police jurisdiction and is 500 metres from Rabindranagar police station under Diamond Harbour Police District in South 24 Parganas.
“A mob burnt motorbikes, police vehicles. Policemen got injured too. Though there were no serious injuries to anyone,” a senior police officer said.
Police said they lobbed tear gas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob involved in stone pelting.
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“The situation is normal in Rabindranagar area now. Four persons have been arrested, and raids are continuing. There will be many arrests subsequently,” ADG (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim said.
Amid a large deployment of police personnel and Rapid Action Foce team, prohibitory orders have been put in place in the area.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP demanded deployment of Central forces and accused the TMC government of “Muslim appeasement”.
Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar reacted strongly to the incident, blaming the state government for “Muslim appeasement”. “Despite knowing the culprits, the police acted against the victims instead of the aggressors,” Majumdar alleged, accusing the TMC government of “ignoring repeated attacks on Bengali Hindus in Muslim-majority areas” of the state.
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Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who sat on a dharna outside Bhawani Bhavan, the state police headquarters, said: “This is complete failure of the administration and police. Central paramilitary forces should be deployed at Maheshtala immediately… The Hindu community in Rabindranagar has been subjected to looting, arson, and violence for hours while the police watched silently. Several police vehicles were set on fire, yet there was no effective intervention.”
He also claimed that DGP Rajiv Kumar refused to meet him.
“Despite such grave attacks on police, the top brass seems indifferent. I will move Calcutta High Court tomorrow seeking urgent intervention and central forces, as ordered earlier during communal tension in Murshidabad,” the BJP leader said.
Both leaders also urged Governor CV Ananda Bose to intervene, alleging the incident reflected systemic administrative failure. “The Governor must step in to ensure that constitutional order is upheld and justice is delivered to the affected Hindu community,” Majumdar said.
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The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, rejected the allegations, saying the Opposition was attempting to politicise a “local issue”.
“All necessary steps have been taken to control the situation. The police acted swiftly and with firmness. The BJP is trying to give a communal colour to what was essentially a dispute over setting up a shop,” said TMC spokesperson and state general secretary Kunal Ghosh.
Condemning the violence, Kolkata Mayor and senior TMC minister leader Firhad Hakim said, “We wish a speedy recovery to the injured police personnel. At the same time, we strongly condemn the BJP’s attempt to communalise and politicise a sensitive issue.” He alleged that the BJP’s tactics were aimed at “disturbing the peace and harmony of Bengal” and urged all sides to act with restraint.
