On Sunday (25th February) night, five Hindu temples were vandalised in Bankra town in Howrah district of West Bengal. The development was confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) by BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari.
In a tweet, he informed, “Last night miscreants vandalised 5 Sanatani Temples at Bankra; Howrah. The locals as a mark of protest are blockading rail lines. I am requesting Shri Praveen Kumar Tripathi (IPS); Commissioner of Howrah city police and DGP of West Bengal
to arrest the culprits as quickly as possible.”
“Also kindly take steps to restore normalcy in the area and persuade the agitators to continue their rightful protests without blocking public transport. The continuous reluctance of the WB Police to take action against miscreants who indulge in vandalism of Sanatani Temples has emboldened them to target the Sanatani Community over and over again,” Suvendhu Adhikari further emphasised.
Last night miscreants vandalised 5 Sanatani Temples at Bankra; Howrah.
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) February 26, 2024
The locals as a mark of protest are bolckading rail lines.
I am requesting Shri Praveen Kumar Tripathi (IPS); Commissioner of @hwhcitypolice and DGP @WBPolice to arrest the culprits as quickly as possible.… pic.twitter.com/mSyikSIEmS
The development coincides with the Shab-e-Barat celebrations which took place on Sunday (26th February).
In visuals shared by Suvendu Adhikari, it could be seen that the temples were vandalised. A CCTV footage of the incident showed young boys sporting skull caps reportedly involved in vandalism.
After the matter came to light, local Hindus staged a protest on Monday (26th February) morning. The angry demonstrators also blocked the rail lines, demanding an immediate arrest of the culprits.
Last Night during Shab-e-Barat local Muslims of Domjur VS and parts of South Howrah VS vandalised local temples, local water taps . A handful of Rohingyas settled in that area.
— Subham. (@subhsays) February 26, 2024
From early morning today local hindus especially females started protesting* and blocked areas. pic.twitter.com/ZnL1nRTQ2U
A large contingent of police was deployed in the area to contain the law and order situation.
Violence in Sandeshkhali
On 8th February this year, hundreds of women in Sandeshkhali took to the streets to protest against land grabbing, non-payment of wages and sexual violence committed by Trinamool Congress goon Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
The women attacked Shahjahan’s illicitly obtained properties and set fire to a poultry farm owned by Shiba Prasad Hazra. They also surrounded the Sandeshkali police station and demanded the immediate arrest of the trio. The agitation in the village lasted for 3 days.
During that time, the TMC goons retaliated and the police acted as mute spectators. In several cases, the cops themselves resorted to harassment of the women. It had come to light that the residents were the subject of sexual violence by the TMC for a long time.
On 10th February, the local police imposed Section 144 in various areas in Sandeshkhali and also banned the use of the Internet in 16 panchayats scattered over the two blocks of Sandeshkhali-I and Sandeshkhali-II.
In a bid to pacify the angry villagers of Sandeshkhali, the TMC leadership suspended Uttam Sardar from the party for six years. The suspended TMC leader and Zilla Parishad member was subsequently arrested in the Sandeshkhali police station area.
The Mamata Banerjee-led-TMC government arrested a former CPI(M) MLA named Nirpada Sardar in connection to the case on 11th February. BJP leader Vikas Singh, who happens to be the Convenor of the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, was also arrested in connection to the women’s protest against TMC goons.
On 17th February, the police arrested TMC leader Shibu Prasad Hazra over land grabbing and sexual exploitation of women in Sandeshkhali. The primary accused Sheikh Shahjahan, is still on the run from the law enforcement authorities.
