West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she will visit riot-torn Murshidabad after inaugurating Digha’s Jagannath Temple in May.
She also said that the state government will bear all the educational expenses of the children of those who died in the unrest.
“After the inauguration of the Jagannath temple in Digha, I will visit Murshidabad early in May. Not only that, but the government will also provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased and those whose houses and shops have been damaged, as much as possible,” Banerjee said on Tuesday.
She was speaking at a meeting which saw the inauguration of eastern India’s largest solar power project at Goaltore in Paschim Medinipur.
Murshidabad, along with parts of the Malda district, had witnessed protests against the amended Waqf Act that turned violent with unrest spreading to areas like Suti, Jangipur, Samserganj, and Farakka.
Expressing her disappointment over the violence, Banerjee asserted that “outsiders” along with some residents were responsible for the unrest and vowed to uncover the “conspiracy” behind it. “I have promised the families of those who died that I will give them Rs 10 lakh,” she said. “Our MPs have also told them that if necessary, the government will take responsibility for the education of their children.”
This announcement reiterates a similar commitment made last Wednesday at a conference of Imams and Muazzems at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium, where the Chief Minister initially declared the compensation.
In addition to financial aid, Banerjee assured that those whose houses were damaged in the unrest would be provided with new homes under the ‘Banglar Bari’ project. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has been tasked with assessing the extent of the damage to shops that were looted.
“We are conducting a survey to see whose houses and shops have been damaged. I will go in early May, then I will go and see the rest and report back. You can trust this much, you can rest assured,” Banerjee said on Tuesday.
While many have been affected and displaced, the Chief Minister also said that the situation is now largely under control due to the efforts of the police administration and central forces.