Lakshmipur village falling under Gobardanga police station limits in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas was gripped in violent clashes, between the local villagers and the state police, on January 20, after a plot of land donated for building a temple/school/hospital was illegally occupied for opening a Madarsa department office.
The locals deeply aggrieved at this betrayal by TMC led state government, started protesting.
After learning of the incident, Gobardanga police reached the village and in a bid to control and disperse the villagers, resorted to lathi-charge, tear gas and eventually opened fire, which led to clashes between the villagers and the police.
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RAF was deployed to control the situation. A strong police picket has been posted in the area to avoid further clashes.
In what transpired, a local widow Nirmala Das, who is no more now, had donated three bighas of land to the panchayat for building a temple, hospital or school during the CPI(M) regime 22 years ago. The local TMC took control of the area two years ago and started constructing a building and told the villagers that a community hall was being built at the site.
The locals became angry when they saw a Madarsa education department board hanging on the building instead of a hospital or temple. The board said the name of the building was ‘karmateertha’, and it is the officer of the minority affairs and madarsa education department of the West Bengal government. Seeing the board, they started ransacking the building. The police from Gobardanga rushed to the spot and a clash broke out between the villagers and the police.
Condemning the deceitful act by local TMC goons, the President of a Hindu organization, Singha Bahini, Devdutta Maji said, Muslim appeasement is nothing new in West Bengal, but Mamata Banerjee’s shameless Muslim appeasement has crossed all limits. Politicians must understand that Hindus are no more naive. We Hindus will reply aptly to any insult on our Dharma.
Local BJP leader Satyajit Mullick said that the appeasement politics of a particular community by the ruling TMC is exposed now. “The people of Bengal will give fitting reply in EVM in coming elections.”
Meanwhile, TMC North 24 Parganas district President Jyotipriya Mullick, refusing to take responsibility said that BJP and CPIM were involved in the attack.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been unabashed about her appeasement politics. Last year in June, the Cooch Behar district magistrate office (minority section) under Mamata Government had issued circular directing state-run schools to construct a dining room for mid-day meals in all government or government-aided schools with 70 per cent or more minority students.
Mamata Banerjee has received a lot of flak for her appeasement politics. Right after the general elections results were announced, Mamata had defended her politics by saying that ‘if a cow gives one milk, one has to be prepared for its kicks also’. She had said, “I like Muslims, no? I will go there a hundred times. ‘Je goru dudh dei tar lathio khete hoi; (if a cow gives milk, one has to be prepared for its kicks also),” she said, meaning, she would continue Muslim appeasement if it continues to benefit her.
