The mob violence in Basirhat in West Bengal over a Facebook post has now taken a life. 65 years old Kartik Ghosh became the first casualty of the violence being perpetrated in the region.
The Basirhat region in West Bengal has been on the boil since Monday, after Jihadi mobs decided to go on rampage, burning and looting Hindu establishments, assaulting villagers, and burning vehicles as a form of protest against the Facebook post, which allegedly denigrated their religion.
Even though Jihadi mobs were wrecking havoc all around, which also included the desecration of Hindu temples and symbols like Lord Jagannath’s Rath, the only consolation people were holding on to, was that there were no casualties yet reported due to the clashes.
This too diminished on Thursday morning after it was reported that 65-year-old Kartik Chandra Ghosh had succumbed to his injuries. According to his son, Kartik was stabbed multiple time by unknown assailants on Wednesday.
Clashes had broken out in their Bhayabla locality which is a part of ward number 20 of Basirhat sub-division. Around 1 PM Kartik was walking back to his home when the area was attacked by “members of the minority community”.
The mob stabbed Kartik multiple times and fled the spot. He was rushed to a local hospital which in-turn referred him to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Kartik unfortunately didn’t respond to the treatment and breathed his last on 8:07 AM Thursday.
Kartik was described as a small businessman who used to sell chicken and groceries to earn a living for his family. His body has now been sent for autopsy.
This death has drawn political reactions. The BJP claimed that Kartik was their party member, which was disputed by the family, either as a fact or possibly in fear of further repercussions by radicals.
West Bengal’s top BJP leadership of Dilip Ghosh and Locket Chatterjee were denied entry into the Kolkata hospital by TMC members when they came to meet Kartik’s grieving family. This resulted in a scuffle between the BJP and TMC workers outside the Hospital, which reportedly resulted in a BJP worker getting dragged inside and then getting beaten up.
Apparently 21 people have been injured till now in the Basirhat violence and 8 are undergoing treatment in the Kolkata hospital.
The situation in Basirhat continues to be tense with police having to use tear gas shells and batons for calming things down.
