14 Injured After Communal Clash In West Bengal’s Howrah

“We were just about to close our shops when we saw the crowd marching towards us. Soon, the violence broke out. We had a grand celebration here on January 22 when big screens were installed for locals to watch the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya and the area was festooned with lights and religious banners. But the attack has left us shocked and it has also affected our business as the shops are closed in the area. Cops have clamped Section 144 that prohibits the assembly of four or more persons,” Gupta claimed.

The Belilious road area in Howrah where the incident occurred has a population of around 3 lakhs with both the communities having almost equal numbers.

Local BJP leader Sanjay Singh accused the police of turning up late to control the violence.

The Muslim community, however, blamed the members of the Hindu community for the assault.

Zafar Ali, 34, who claimed to be an eyewitness told The Quint that a mob of around 1000-1500 people were participating in the religious procession which was started from a local market around 830 pm (Wednesday) and was supposed to cover a distance of 800 metres before returning.

Raes Alam alias Sunny, a local TMC leader being accused of inciting tension by BJP said that he was trying to convince his community members to refrain from violence and not get provoked by any slogans. “I also came under attack but had a miraculous escape after my friend, a Hindu, saved me from the mob. I tried my best to calm down the tempers to maintain the communal harmony. Our leader (Mamata Banerjee) has never taught us to get engaged in such unlawful activities,” Alam said.

Around 14 people were injured in the incident including Sandip Pakhira, Officer-in-Charge of Howrah Police station under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred.

No arrests have been made so far.

Howrah Commissioner of Police Praveen Kumar Tripathi said that steps have been taken to ensure peace. “The situation is under control. We are trying to identify those behind the violence. We are also checking CCTV footage,” Tripathi said.

State minister and local MLA Arup Roy also condemned the incident, “We have already instructed the police to conduct a thorough investigation and nab those involved in it. But such violent incidents disturb the communal harmony.”

Union Minister Smriti Irani who was on a visit to Kolkata on Thursday reacted strongly to the incident, “The police were nowhere to be see when the Ram devotees were pelted with stones but they were out in big numbers to stop the live screening of PM Modi’s interaction with young voters in Kolkata. This shows that they have no respect towards Ram devotees,” she alleged.

Tension broke out between the two communities during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah district, around 2 kilometres from the recent violence, on 30 March last year. Several shops were vandalised and vehicles were burnt in the violence. A few days later, communal tensions were reported in Rishra area of Hooghly district, around 25 kilometres from Kolkata due to Ram Navami procession in the first week of April.