INDIA. West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, was criticised by Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday for the violence that happened during the Ram Navami procession in Howrah. She said that Banerjee gave a “clean chit” to those who threw stones during the procession.
The Union Minister said, “Even then Mamata Banerjee could not protect the Hindu community. Instead of delivering justice, CM Mamata protected those who took the law into their hands and attacked the Shobha Yatra of Ram Navami. She instead put those who took out the yatra in the dock and gave a clean chit to those who pelted the procession with stones.”
The Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, said that it was a plot by the BJP to hurt the ruling party for their own political gain.
The situation has worsened with time in Howrah as several vehicles, including some belonging to the police, were torched. In a big blow to the Hindu-wing party, CM Mamata Banerjee accused the saffron party and other right-wing organizations such as Bajrang Dal of being “involved in violence with arms”.
Meanwhile, the state government has initiated a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the matter. A special team led by the Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury, has taken over the charge of the investigation. The BJP party, which earlier tried its luck to make its government in Bengal, accused the Mamata-led TMC government of negligence in the religious conflicts.
Howrah district magistrate Mukta Arya stated that they will impose Section 144 of the CrPC until April 1 in Shibpur, Santragachi, Dasnagar, Salkia, Malipanchghora, and Jagacha. In the meantime, the Howrah DM has issued a notice to telecom, internet, and cable service providers to restrict the connection to avoid unauthorized messages and videos, which might create further problems furthermore. Besides this, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also alleged that the procession was taken out without police permission, which caused the violence.
Also Read: Violence Break out in Bengal During Ram Navami Celebration
