Kaliachak protest in West Bengal pre-planned, not targeted communal attack: State agencies

KOLKATA: The recent protest in Kaliachak against Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari’s alleged derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammed was pre-planned and not a targeted communal attack, state government agencies have said in a report submitted to the Union home ministry.

The protest organised by Edara-e-Shariyah on January 3, with nearly seven Muslim organisations and 10 local clubs of Muslim youths joining hands, had turned violent, leading to rioting and vandalisation of the local police station As per the report, the protest in the town near the India-Bangladesh border was the result of a cumulative public grievance.

With the BJP latching on to the incident in the run-up to the assembly polls in West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee government imposed restrictions on any political movement at the spot.

The report said that the mob consisted of two sections. One comprised of the poppy cultivators, fake Indian currency notes handlers and smugglers, while the second was made up of the aggrieved people. The racketeers and smugglers provoked a section of the crowd to attack the police station. Later, the crowd went berserk and went on rampage. However, no casualty was reported, as per the report, although the police picked up 11 rioters among thousands and the leaders of Edara-e-Shariyah are still absconding .

Significantly, the forum was floated specially to organise the protest rally and it also set up an office in the area. The preparation and publicity for the protest rally continued for almost a month, the investigation revealed, according to the report.

While the chief minister was quick to blame the Border Security Force, the paramilitary force denied its involvement in the incident and said one of its vehicles had got stuck in the rally, though later the protesters allowed it to leave.

Meanwhile, opposition parties including the CPM and Congress sought to take political advantage of the incident, but the state government did not allow any politician to enter the area till the “situation is stabilised”.

For instance, the venue of a meeting of Union minister Nitin Gadkari scheduled earlier was shifted to North Dinajpur from Malda after the state government denied permission. Similarly, a BJP parliamentary delegation was stopped at the railway station, from where it was sent back. The police station is currently being repaired and renovated, with a strong boundary wall being erected around it.