West Bengal clashes: Cops injured, vehicles set on fire, security heightened- what triggered the outrage?
NEW DELHI: Security has been heightened in Maheshtala after the area witnessed violent clashes between a mob and the West Bengal Police on Wednesday.
Five police personnel, including DC (Port) Harikrishna Pai, sustained injuries, while two government vehicles were damaged and a motorcycle was torched as officers attempted to quell clashes in the Rabindranagar-Akra area.
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To control the situation, police carried out a lathicharge and used tear gas.
Violence broke out near Rabindranagar Police Station when a crowd began to gather and suddenly turned violent, attacking the outnumbered police with stones. Reinforcements arrived, and police used lathicharge and tear gas to disperse the mob. However, the crowd regrouped near Santoshpur and clashed with Kolkata Police, injuring officers, including DC (Port) Rai.
Riot police, led by senior officers, chased and dispersed the mob, eventually restoring order.
Security forces conducted patrols in the area, and top police officials oversaw the operation. Four people were arrested, and the injured officers are reported to be in stable condition.
What led to the clashes?
The clashes erupted due to a dispute over land ownership. Locals say tensions began when a 'tulsi mancha' was hastily built at a spot where a minority community member had a shop.
The trader was away for Eid, and the other group claimed the shop was illegally built on temple land. Before authorities could intervene, protests from both sides escalated into violence, roadblocks, and attacks on police.
Leader of opposition in state and
leader Suvendu Adhikari, however, claimed that the victims were Hindus and demanded deployment of central forces in the violence-hit area.
"Several police personnel were injured in the violence, and many police vehicles were torched.
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We demand immediate deployment of central forces in the area to save and protect people," he said.
"I have approached the SP of Diamond Harbour Police District and DGP @WBPolice so that today, I along with one MLA can visit Maheshtala under Rabindranagar Police Station to meet and express solidarity with the victims of the Hindu families and the affected Hindu shopkeepers who came under the attack of the Jihadis yesterday.
This visit is a step towards understanding their grievances and ensuring their voices are heard.
I hope that the Administration doest obstruct my visit," he further said in a post on X.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, however, dismissed the clashes being related to "overall law and order situation" "The incident in Maheshtala is not related to the overall law and order situation. However, the incident is unfortunate and highly condemnable. The police acted very responsibly and did not take any step to aggravate the situation," he said.
The state police is yet to issue any statement.
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