The Bhartiya Janata Party, Left and Congress leaders were on Friday stopped from entering Baduria and Basirhat towns of West Bengal as the situation was still volatile following the communal clashes earlier this week, officials said.
“The situation is still tense. We have not allowed any delegation to go there as it might create problems,” a senior district official said.
“We have been stopped near Ashoknagar area on the grounds that if we go to those areas it might create law and order problems. But we are not going there for any political programme. We are going there to meet the people who have suffered due to riots,” Left Front legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty said.
Chakraborty added that the Left Front was to organise a demonstration against the police and the TMC government in Barasat.
BJP MP Roopa Ganguly and 50 other leaders were also denied entry into riots-hit Basirhat town by police, reported CNN News18. The BJP leaders were later arrested. The BJP delegation was led by state party president Dilip Ghosh.
#BengalClashes — Rupa Ganguli and 50 BJP leaders denied entry into Barishat | @Sougata_Mukh with the details pic.twitter.com/0tXa9eSkzG
— News18 (@CNNnews18) July 7, 2017
The Congress, led by West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) chief Adhir Chowdhury, was also stopped at Barasat for the same reason.
The Opposition parties had earlier said that they would go to Basirhat on Friday to appeal for calm, The Times of India reported. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, however, on Thursday appealed to all political parties to stay away from Basirhat.
Baduria and its adjoining areas witnessed a communal flare-up following a post by a youth on Facebook earlier this week. Though the youth was arrested, members of two communities clashed, set up road blockades, damaged shops and set fire to vehicles.
Fresh tension was reported in Basirhat area on Thursday, forcing the police to lob teargas shells and resort to baton charge. The state cabinet had decided to ban some organisations after they were allegedly found instigating people in communal riots, a state minister had said on Thursday.
The state government on Thursday temporarily suspended internet services in four police station areas of Basirhat, Baduria, Swarupnagar and Deganga to check the spread of rumours through social networking sites.
Courtesy: Firstpost
