Baduria, Basirhat, West Bengal riots LIVE Updates: Situation is tense in Baduria, which falls in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, due to communal riots which broke out over an objectionable post on Facebook about a holy site. The Centre has already on Wednesday rushed over 300 paramilitary personnel. The BJP has alleged that 2000 Muslims attacked Hindu families, according to an Indian Express report. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had confirmed in Kolkata that the clashes between members of two communities have broken out in Baduria in Basirhat sub-division of the North 24 Parganas district over the objectionable post. Official sources in Delhi said the clashes were triggered on Tuesday evening over the Facebook post about a holy site, PTI reported. They said three companies of paramilitary forces were rushed to the state to assist the local police in containing the situation.
Here are all the LIVE and LATEST updates:-
10: 49 PM: The CPI(M) today accused the TMC government in West Bengal of failing to give protection to the people at Baduria, where communal clashes broke out earlier this week, and demanded that an all-party meeting be convened to deal with the situation.
10: 32 PM: The CPI(M) has also accused the TMC government of failing to protect the people at Baduria and has demanded an all-party meeting to deal with the situation.
10: 19 PM: BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told reporters, “We demand that the Centre intervene and impose President’s rule in the state. The Centre should send a team of observers to assess the worsening law and order situation in the state.”
10: 13 PM: Amid the continuing spat between Mamata and her party colleagues and the governor, the BJP today demanded that the Centre impose President’s rule in West Bengal and send central observers to assess worsening law and order in the state.
10: 08 PM: The clashes had triggered an unprecedented spat her and Governor Tripathi, whom she accused of acting like “a BJP block president” and “threatening” her. The Raj Bhawan has voiced surprise over Banerjee’s “attitude and language”, and said “the governor cannot remain a mute spectator of the affairs in the state.” The governor dismissed her charges as baseless saying these were meant only to emotionally blackmail the people of the state.
9: 58 PM: In the latest update, West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi has written to President Pranab Mukherjee on his conversation with CM Mamata Banerjee in context of the Baduria riots
9: 52 PM: Violence had erupted between two communities at Baduria in Basirhat sub-division of the district since Monday night over a Facebook post, following which a young man was arrested.
9: 43 PM: Rail blockades at three places on the Barasat-Bongaon and Barasat-Basirhat sections in the morning inconvenienced daily commuters.
9: 32 PM: Four companies of BSF personnel (about 400 personnel) have been rushed to Baduria and adjoining areas of Basirhat, Swarupnagar and Deganga to assist the local administration.
9: 23 PM: Schools, shops, markets and business establishments remained shut in and around Baduria, including Keosha market, Banshtala, Ramchandrapur and Tentulia, where prohibitory orders are in force.
9: 19 PM: For now a police officer said no untoward incident was reported till this afternoon from Baduria though the situation is tense, adding forces have already been deployed across the entire area and they have cleared roads blocks put up by local residents and conducted route marches. Announcements are being made via public address system asking people to maintain law and order, he said.
9: 12 PM: Earlier in the evening, with the clashes threatening to disrupt inter-faith harmony, Banerjee said her government has decided to form peace-keeping forces across the state involving local people and assisted by state administration and the police.
9: 08 PM: For now there has been no official confirmation about any casualties during the clashes that broke out in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday night following an “objectionable” Facebook post.
8: 53 PM: Sitaram Yechury also said that “majority communalism” and “minority fundamentalism” are threats which feed on each other and India needs to defeat them.
8: 48 PM: Sitaram Yechury took to Twitter and said, “Along with polarisation fed by TMC, BJP, there’s an increasing sense of lawlessness. We’ll continue to oppose both and fight for social harmony.”
8: 36 PM: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the party would continue to oppose the “polarisation and lawlessness”, and fight for social harmony in the state.
8: 25 PM: Meanwhile today the CPI (M) alleged the BJP and the ruling TMC were polarising the people and there was an increasing sense of lawlessness in the state, as per the reports by PTI.
8: 13 PM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today was quoted by ANI as saying that she will form ‘Shanti Vahini’ in 15 days with youth, peaceful citizens in association with local police stations.
7:55 PM: Visuals of Army deployment in North 24 Parganas district following violent protests and clashes
7:35 PM Army deployed in North 24 Parganas district following violent protests and clash over a social media post, curfew imposed.
7:12 PM State administration & police will assist peacekeeping forces; situation at Baduria in North 24 Parganas now normal, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
6:53 PM “We demand that the Centre immediately intervene and impose President’s rule in the state. The Centre should send a team of central observers to assess the worsening law and order situation in the state,” President of BJP’s Bengal unit Dilip Ghosh told reporters, according to PTI.
6:37 PM BJP demands President’s rule in Bengal: The BJP on Thursday demanded that the Centre immediately impose President’s rule in West Bengal and send central observers to assess worsening law and order in West Bengal.
6:10 PM CPI-M leader and MP Mohammed Salim accused Mamata Banerjee of helping communal politics, PTI reported.
5:33 PM “Where was the administration? The state government has failed to give protection to the people and save property (in Baduria). Strong action was needed there,” CPI-M leader and MP Mohammed Salim told reporters, according to PTI.
5:20 PM The CPI(M) has accused the TMC government in West Bengal of failing to give protection to the people at Baduria and demanded that an all-party meeting be convened to deal with the situation.
5:10 PM On the Barasat–Bongaon section, the agitators obstructed railway tracks at Duttapukur station from 8.30 AM to 2.00 PM at a level crossing gate between Asoknagar and Guma stations from 9.45 AM to 11.25 AM and at a level crossing gate at Guma station from 10.55 AM to 1.25 PM.
4:59 PM Train services were disrupted in the Barasat-Bongaon section from 8.30 AM to 2.00 PM, while on Barasat–Hasnabad section, obstructions were made between Champapukur-Basirhat from 9.27 AM to 9.58 AM “on non-railway cause”, the spokesman said.
4:54 PM Rail tracks in both these sections – Barasat-Hasnabad and the Barasat–Bongaon sections – pass through North 24 Parganas district which covers a vast area starting from the northern fringes of Kolkata and shares an extensive international border with Bangladesh in the east.
4:45 PM Train services on the Barasat-Hasnabad and the Barasat–Bongaon sections of Eastern Railway were disrupted for four and a half hours on Thursday due to obstruction by agitators at different stations along the route.
4:40 PM: Agitators obstruct train movement to protest communal clashes
4:25 PM Announcements were being made via the public address system asking the people to maintain law and order and the police officials were also trying to convince the people to resume normal activities, according to a PTI report.
4:15 PM: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has refused Centre’s help, reports Republic TV. “Don’t need assistance,” Mamata to Home Ministry, according to Republic TV
WATCH | Non-stop live coverage from Basirhat #BengalTension pic.twitter.com/ZrqWlCITuS
— Republic (@republic) July 5, 2017
4:03 PM Reportedly, Rajnath Singh is acting as a mediator between West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and CM Mamata Banerjee as verbal clash broke out between the two over communal riots in Baduria over an objectionable Facebook post on a religious site.
3:43 PM Section 144 has been imposed in Basirhat following violent protests over a social media post, as reported by ANI
3:34 PM Shops, markets were shut down in Baduria as tension prevailed and spread to adjacent areas like Keosha market, Banshtala, Ramchandrapur and Tentulia, PTI reported
3:27 PM The CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra demanded that an all party meeting be convened on this issue to chalk a way out to tackle the situation.
3:19 PM State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said army should be immediately deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident.
3:10 PM The opposition Left Front and Congress demanded immediate deployment of army to control the situation at Baduria in North 24 Parganas district, according to PTI.
2:57 PM According to ANI, angry crowd torched police vehicles, vandalised shops and blocked roads leading to the India-Bangladesh border after a derogatory post on social media triggered clashes in Baduria and Basirhat areas of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.
2:47 PM Another BJP leader Sudesh Verma warned Banerjee and averred that violence should not be used to settle political scores, ANI reported.
‘We have come to know that TMC goons have attacked BJP offices in West Bengal. We would like to warn Mamata Banerjee that violence should not be used as a means to settle political scores. Violence ultimately doesn’t pay and by using such tactics you cannot stop the rise of BJP in West Bengal,” said Verma, the ANI report added.
2:40 PM The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tore into the Trinamool Congress over the law and order situation in the state, accusing the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government of supporting the anti-social elements which are brewing unrest in the state.
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi demanded an urgent solution to the problem, ensuring the safety of the people of the state.
2:35 PM Accusing the state police of failing to control the situation, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had urged Home Minister Rajnath Singh for his intervention.
2:30 PM On Monday night, Baduria police station was attacked and set ablaze and so were several police.
2:27 PM Internet services have been disrupted in Baduria of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, following communal violence in the district over an objectionable facebook post, confirmed news agency ANI.
2:25 PM Internet services have been disrupted in Baduria of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, following communal violence in the district over an objectionable facebook post, confirmed news agency ANI.
2:17 PM Angry mob burnt vehicles, set public property on fire
2:16 PM Following riots, Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to CM Mamata Banerjee and Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, reports Republic TV
1:55 PM A 48-hour curfew has been imposed around Basirhat due to communal riots in Baduria, reports Republic TV
1:45 PM Home Minister Rajnath Singh has directed Home Secretary to monitor developments after violence broke out in West Bengal’s Baduria
1:36 PM More visuals of violence in North 24 Parganas’s Baduria after protests over an objectionable social media post
1:15 PM Visuals of violence in North 24 Parganas’s Baduria after protests over an objectionable social media post
12:56 PM Besides putting up road blockades at several places, the mob had attacked members of another community and destroyed many shops.
12:55 PM The incident had triggered an unprecedented spat between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.
12:54 PM Four companies of BSF’s South Bengal Frontier rushed to Baduria and adjoining areas of Basirhat, Swarupnagar and Deganga to assist the local administration in controlling the situation after clashes broke out.
12:52 PM The BSF personnel cleared roads after removing the blockades put up by a mob.
12:50 PM Most of the shops, markets remained shut in and around Baduria including Keosha market, Banshtala, Ramchandrapur and Tentulia.
12:45 PM The police said, with the police and BSF personnel putting up at school buildings, educational institutions remained off-limits for students.
12:40 PM Local train services were affected in Sealdah-Bangaon section as people squatted on the tracks at Duttapukur and Ashokenagar stations.
A pair of trains plied from Basirhat station in the morning hours after which services were disrupted due to demonstration there, GRP sources said.
12:30 PM Senior police officers have been deployed in the area to keep a vigil.
12:20 PM Announcements were being via the public address system asking the people to maintain law and order.The police were also trying to convince the people to resume normal activities.
12:14 PM According to an RSS General Secretary it was one sided communal violence in Bengal. “Governor performing his duties; we are thankful to him,” the RSS secretary Jishnu Basu said in a conversation with CNN-News18.
12:10 PM: Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the West Bengal government over communal clashes
12:04 PM: Local train services have been affected in Basirhat due to communal clashes in Baduria, according to CNN-News18
11:55 AM: Internet services have been disrupted in Baduria of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, following communal violence in the district over an objectionable Facebook post, according to news agency ANI
11:35 AM A young man has been arrested, police said. The violence between the two communities at Baduria under Basirhat sub-division in the district started on Tuesday night over the post on a holy site.
11:32 AM “The Hon’ble Governor cannot remain a mute spectator of the affairs in the state,” according to a statement issued by Raj Bhavan.
11:31 AM News agency PTI reports that the governor asked the chief minister to ensure peace and law and order by all means.
11:30 AM Tripathi expressed surprise over Banerjee’s “attitude and language” and said there was nothing in his talks for which she felt insulted, threatened or humiliated.
“The talks between the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the Hon’ble Governor were confidential in nature and none is expected to disclose it,” a statement issued by Raj Bhavan said.
11:25 AM In an unprecedented move, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Tripathi of “threatening” her over phone and talking “big on the law and order”. She said that he was acting like a “BJP block president”. Banerjee said, “I am not here at the mercy of anyone. The way he spoke to me, I once thought of leaving (the chair).”
11:15 AM “Governor K N Tripathi had a telephonic conversation with Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and had informed him about the clashes in North 24 Parganas district. They had a detailed discussion about the present situation in the area,” a Raj Bhavan source told PTI.
11:00 AM West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi spoke to Home minister Rajnath Singh on the issue of communal clashes.
10:30 AM Communal clashes have broken out in North 24 Paraganas district over an “objectionable” post on Facebook, prompting the state government to rush 400 troops of paramilitary BSF today to assist the police in containing the situation.
Courtesy: Financial Express
