Kolkata: West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Governor La Ganesan on Monday, demanding deployment of central forces after communal violence in Mominpur and the ransacking of Ekbalpur police station.
“The Hindu community has come under attack in Khidirpore Mominpur area of Kolkata on the eve of Lakshmi Puja,” leader of the opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said in the letter.
He said many shops and bikes belonging to Hindus were vandalised by hooligans and anti-social elements in the violence.
“The onslaught has similarities to the Panchla violence which happened in June in the Uluberia area of Howrah district. At that time, the violence spread across West Bengal, especially in Nadia and Murshidabad districts,” Adhikari wrote.
Hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee-led government in Bengal, Adhikari said the government had “meekly surrendered” before those indulging in violence.
He also claimed that some miscreants had taken over the Ekbalpur police station.
“I apprehend that, as the West Bengal government is reluctant to act against the perpetrators this time as well because they belong to a certain community, this time too this may flare up and start to spread across the state resulting in loss of lives and property; both public and private. The state government has already meekly surrendered in front of the wrath of the goons who have taken over the Ekbalpur police station,” he added.
Tension flared up in Mominpur on Sunday evening after religious flags put up in the area for the Milad-un-Nabi festival atop houses and shops of majority community were removed by the Hindus. Irked by the action of the majority community, the members of the minority community went on rampage, damaging a number of vehicles, torching shops and houses belonging to the Hindus in the area.
The mobsters even surrounded the Ekbalpore police station and attacked the police personnel. Some of the policemen were reportedly injured in the attack.
Sources claimed that the local police remained a mute spectator while the violent mob continued to run amok.