Left Front Calls for Army deployment in Murshidabad district

Kolkata: “To stem the communally motivated violence  that has arisen in the district of Murshidabad , it is necessary to immediately deploy Army in the trouble affected areas of Murshidabad district,” demanded a visibly disturbed CPI(M) District Secretary, Jamir Mollah, talking with Newsclick .

The state government and ruling party of the state the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the ruling party of the country, the BJP, are visible parties to the violence and the State police and administrative machinery has failed to stem the violence, he alleged. 

“The main culprits behind the violence are the various fraction of the TMC party and the RSS, which has so far claimed three lives, including the death of a minority teenager in police firing. A father and son duo also lost their life in the violence. We are condemning the violence in no uncertain terms and we are welcoming the deployment of paramilitary forces in the district following the high court’s order,” said Jamir Mollah .

‘The CPI(M) will soon embark on peace rallies as well conduct peaceful protests against Waqf Amendment Act, brought in by the Union government, in the violence affected blocks of  Suti, Farakka, and Samsergunj block of Jangipur subdivision of the district,”he added.

Murshidabad district has over 66.27% residents who follow Islam, while 33.21% are followers of Hinduism. The district has a long history of cultural and religious amity starting  from the age of Nawabs. Of late RSS has been proactive in the district with the advent of BJP as the second largest force in the district, and TMC has maintained its position of wooing the Ulemas to garner a toehold in the district, which was once considered a stronghold of Congress, and also had of a big support base of the Communists.

In vast areas of Samsergunj and Suti block violence had broken out from 11 April when the protests against the Waqf Bill went out of control. Especially the busy Dakbanglow area of Samsergunj bore the brunt of communal carnage, and Section 163 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was enforced in the troubled area .

On Sunday morning, in the villages and in the interiors of the Suti and Samsergunj block, police and paramilitary forces conducted route marches. DGP of West Bengal police, Rajiv Kumar along with his senior officers are now stationed in the troubled district. So far about 118 miscreants has been arrested by the police. Protesters fought pitched battles with police in Dhuliyan, Sajur More in Suti block, and at Samsergunj.

About 15 police officials including the SDPO of Farakka have received grievous injuries. In Suti a public vehicle carrying passengers were torched by the protesters, although the passenger escaped unhurt.

CPI(M) Politburo Member Dr Ramchandra Dom, talking to Newsclick, said that in  Murshidabad,  what is happening is preplanned communal violence at the instigation of the ruling parties of the state and the Centre.

“These areas are extremely sensitive and are important to both the parties. In these areas, this incident has been instigated to create complete binaries. There is politics of  RSS and of Muslim communal forces behind this. The way the protests against the Waqf bill has been diverted is a dangerous precedent. The CPI(M) stands in the forefront of the protests against the Waqf Act , along with various mass organizations and social organizations,” Dom said.

He pointed out that in border-lying areas of districts like Malda and Murshidabad, in a pre-planned way, the protests are being fanned by communal forces including the minority cell of the ruling TMC,  and the RSS. He said that before the next Assembly elections in 2026, it is a conspiracy to create unrest in West Bengal and polarize the people.

“At a time when the Chief Minister is under siege because of the education scam, due to which the  jobs of 26,000 teachers have been cancelled, this communal violence is aimed at providing safe passage to the Chief  Minister by creating communal strife. The police and administration is dormant while they are allowing both fanatic forces to operate unchecked in the state, playing with the livese of ordinary people. The CPI(M) and the left front, and Congress, have called for amity amongst followers of the various faiths in the state and it has called for deployment of Army whenever required,” he told Newsclick.