West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited Murshidabad
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday condemned the violence in Murshidabad, calling it "barbaric," and said that such incidents should never happen again. Earlier today, he visited Dhuliyan to meet victims of the Murshidabad violence.
"What we saw in the field is an ugly demonstration of degenerate human nature. What happened was barbaric, just vandalism. This should never happen again. People are in a state of panic... We should reestablish normalcy there, give people the confidence that there is somebody to protect them, and also take all steps to see that such things are warded off in future," Governor Bose told news agency ANI.
He met the family members of a man and his son, who were killed after violence broke out during the protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act protests in Murshidabad.
The bodies of the man and his son - Harogobindo Das and Chandan Das - were found in their house with multiple stab wounds.
A section of villagers came out in protest, and placed road blockades at Betbona in Jafrabad, demanding that the Governor, whose convoy had left the place, return and listen to them. The Governor subsequently came back to Betbona, spoke with the villagers and pacified them, an official said.
Three people, including the father and son, were killed and over 274 were arrested in connection with violence that engulfed Muslim-majority areas in Bengal from April 8 to 12.
"Being in touch with the state government and the central government is the duty of the Governor. I'll do my duty. With the effective involvement of the police, and central as well as state, in a coordinated manner, now in the field, normalcy has been established, but the wounds that were created in the minds of the affected people, that still remains," Governor Bose said.
Women's Commission Team Visits Murshidabad
A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, on Saturday met riot-hit people in West Bengal's Murshidabad district and assured them the Centre would take steps to ensure their safety.
The ruling Trinamool Congress questioned the NCW's neutrality, accusing it of functioning as a "political wing of the BJP." During the visit, affected women shared their harrowing experiences from the recent communal violence.
They demanded the establishment of permanent Border Security Force (BSF) camps in some areas and sought the help of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to look into the clashes.
"I am dumbfounded by the agony these women are having to suffer. What they went through during the violence is beyond imagination," Ms Rahatkar said, after which many of the riot-affected women broke down in tears during their interactions with the NCW team.
The Trinamool criticised the visits by the Governor, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the NCW teams, alleging they were aimed at stoking tension in the already-volatile region.
"When the chief minister requested him to delay the visit, the Governor should have honoured that. His actions show an intent to create unrest. The NCW and NHRC visits are also politically driven to help the BJP destabilise the situation," Trinamool MP Sougata Roy alleged.
Countering the allegations, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar accused the Trinamool of shielding those behind the violence for vote-bank politics.
"The Trinamool is panicking because these visits might expose their nexus with the rioters. They are appeasing miscreants for political gains," Mr Majumdar told news agency PTI.
