Defying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plea, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday reached Malda and visited a temporary relief camp where people from violence-hit Murshidabad have taken shelter since last week’s clashes that left three persons dead and several policemen injured.
Teams of NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) and National Commission for Women (NCW) also visited Malda’s Parlalpur High School, which has been converted into a relief camp.
At the Malda shelter, the Governor spent nearly two hours interacting with men, women and children living there.
“I listened to their grievances and understood their feelings. They briefed me in detail and told me what they wanted. There will certainly be some proactive action,” Bose said after the meeting.
“They told me that goons entered their homes, assaulted them and their family members, looted, and then set fire to their houses. They all said they want to return to their homes. But they sought protection. They want a secure environment,” the Governor told mediapersons.
“They need new houses as their homes have been reduced to ashes and ransacked. They want a proper livelihood… They all demanded that a permanent BSF camp be set up in the area for their security,” Bose added.
“I assured them that they will get justice. I will take up the matter both with the state government and the Centre. Now, we all must try to restore normalcy. Will try for a permanent solution and do whatever is required,” the Governor said.
Sumati Mondol, who took shelter at the school after fleeing from her home in the Bedbona area of Dhulian municipality, said she urged the Governor to set up a permanent BSF camp in the violence-hit areas.
“We told him (the Governor) in detail what happened on April 11 and April 12. We told him that the police are pressuring us to leave the school shelter. We are not allowed to meet our relatives from outside. This is like a prison. But we still refused to go. Where will we go? Our houses are damaged. Today, there is Central force, but when they will not be there, who will save us? We appealed to him to set up a permanent camp of the BSF in the area,” Mondol said.
On his way to Malda on a train, the Governor, while interacting with mediapersons, said: “The cult of violence is a reality in Bengal. We have two cancerous growths on the body politic of West Bengal — one is violence, and the other is corruption. We will have to strike at the roots of this. I’m sure that victory will be ours.”
He also said that he would “verify reports from the field, visit hospitals, residences, and relief camps. The central forces and state police are working together, and the situation will soon normalise. I will send my recommendations after the visit.”
Sources at Raj Bhavan said the Governor might visit the violence-hit areas of Murshidabad on Saturday.
On Thursday, after he publicly announced his plan to visit violence-hit areas in Murshidabad, Chief Minister Banerjee made a public appeal to him to defer his visit. “I would appeal to the Governor to wait for a few more days. The situation in Murshidabad is becoming normal with confidence-building measures. The immediate task is to work on confidence-building measures,” the CM had said.
Criticising the Governor’s visit, the ruling TMC on Friday alleged that it was “aimed at stoking tension” in the already-volatile region.
“When the CM had requested him to delay the visit, the Governor should have honoured that. His actions show an intent to create unrest. The NCW and NHRC visits are also politically driven to help the BJP destabilise the situation,” senior TMC MP Sougata Roy alleged.
Countering the allegations, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar accused the TMC of shielding those behind the violence for vote-bank politics.
“The TMC is panicking because these visits might expose their nexus with the rioters. They are appeasing miscreants for political gains,” Majumdar said.
So far, over 274 people have been arrested in connection with the violence at Samserganj, Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur areas of Murshidabad district from April 8-12. On the High Court’s order, 17 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the affected areas alongside the state police.
with PTI