11 More Arrested In Bengal Ram Navami Violence Case

Eleven more accused have been arrested for the conspiracy relating to the communal violence that took place during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal in March last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Tuesday.

These arrests by the federal agency have come less than a month after 16 people were apprehended in the six cases that were transferred to the NIA on April 27, 2023.

These 11 accused were also among those involved in conspiring and perpetrating the attacks on members of a particular community, triggered by one such incident during a procession to celebrate Ram Navami in Shibpur, Howrah Police Commissionerate, on March 30, 2023, the NIA said in the statement.

During the course of its investigations, NIA had identified the accused from video footage seized from various locations, it said.

Investigations also led the NIA to other major revelations, resulting in these arrests, as well as the arrest of 16 persons on February 26, this year.

The 11 arrested accused have been identified as Shamim Ahmed alias Bare, Balwant Singh, Mehmud Alam, Mehfooz  Alam alias Sonu, Shamshad Alam alias Danish, Mohammad Ali alias Suraj, Salim Jawed alias Jawad, Sarfaraz Alam alias Lalan, Firoj Khan, Md Sameer Ansari alias Raj and Shamshad Hussain alias Shamshad Ali alias Raja, the statement said.

All of them are residents of Shibpur, Howrah.

The case was initially registered by the West Bengal police against 36 persons in the wake of the communal violence triggered by the attack at 4th By Lane, PM Basti, Shibpur, Howrah.

The Calcutta High Court had, on April 27, 2023, ordered the transfer of all the cases related to the spate of communal violence that took place during the Ram Navami celebrations to the NIA.

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