Tag: violence

Violence in Bihar’s Patna, Kaimur and Muzaffarpur during Saraswati idol immersion

Source: hindustantimes.com

More than 12 people, including four policemen, were injured in brick batting and four vehicles were set on fire in the state capital Patna, according to officials.

Violence broke out in three separate districts of Patna, Kaimur and Muzaffarpur in Bihar during processions to immerse the idol of Goddess Saraswati late on Friday, officials said.

More than 12 people, including four policemen, were injured in brick batting and four vehicles were set on fire in the state capital Patna, according to officials.

Police said the clash started between students of the Patna University and locals in the Lalbagh area as residents allegedly chased them from the spot and they pelted stones at each other during the procession.

Another group of students later started firing and hurled bombs, which led to chaos in the surrounding areas. Bricks and stones were seen scattered on the Ashok Rajpath near Lalbagh after the violence.

Eyewitnesses said students ransacked several tea stalls, coaching institutes and a private eye-hospital during the violence.

The students, on their part, alleged they were attacked by the people of Lalbagh when they had gone to immerse the idol.

They said when students of Minto, Nutan and Jackson hostels reached Lalbagh area, residents started hurling stones and bombs at them. They then retaliated to the attack.

The brawl, which went on for more than two hours, left a sub-inspector, three constables, student Chandra Sekhar and a passersby injured. The injured policemen were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and others were referred to Nalanda Medical College & Hospital (NMCH).

Inspector general of police (Central Zone) Sanjay Singh, Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Upendra Sharma rushed to the spot with reinforcement and pacified the crowd. Police also used mild lathicharge to disperse the mob.

IG Sanjay Singh said Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been deployed to keep the situation in control. Sharma said preliminary investigation revealed that students of Minto and Saidpur hostels were involved in the firing and hurling bombs.

Reports from Kaimur said there was tension in a village after a group allegedly pelted stones at an idol, which was said to be damaged. After this, people from two communities indulged in brick batting and firing leading to the injury of a half dozen people.

Sub-divisional officer J Shukla said the situation is under control and additional police force deployed as a precautionary measure.

In Muzaffarpur, tension gripped BRA University after two groups clashed during idol immersion procession when students fired and pelted stones each and other. Many students were injured in the clash.

Muzaffarpur’s SSP Jayant Kant said the incident was a fallout of rivalry between two groups of students.

“Efforts are on to ascertain the identity of the attackers, who managed to escape after the incident,” Kant said.

The Daily Fix: To halt Bengal’s spiral of violence, both Trinamool and BJP must dial down tensions

Source: scroll.in

Political tempers are running so high in West Bengal, it does not take much to spark lethal violence. On Saturday, for instance, an argument about party flags exploded into clashes that resulted in the deaths of three people. The quarrel broke out as Trinamool Congress members tried to remove Bharatiya Janata Party banners in Sandeshkhali, around 75 kilometers from Kolkata on the Bangladesh border. It quickly escalated into a gunfight, reported the Telegraph.

Over the past fortnight, 13 people – eight from the BJP and five Trinamool – have been killed, the Economic Times reported. While West Bengalhas a long history of political violence, this ferocity, after the Lok Sabha election has ended, is unusual even by the state’s own standards.

Social cleavages give this political violence the potential to grow into something even more dangerous. For example, much of this post-election violence has been concentrated in North 24 Parganas, the district bordering Bangladesh. The area has communal fault lines that resulted in Hindu-Muslim riots in 2017 and 2010. Ethnic divisions have also come into play, with a senior Trinamool ministerblaming migrants from Bihar and Jharkhand for displacing Bengalis from their homes.

Much of the blame for this violence will have to be shouldered by the Trinamool Congress, given its status as the state’s ruling party and hence responsible for law and order. Mamata Banerjee’s government has actively encouraged the politicisation of the state administration, so it is not a surprise that the police are either unwilling or unable to stop the violence between BJP and Trinamool workers.

However, in Bengal’s highly politicised environment, the strong opposition BJP bears some responsibility too. The party, which had a 40% vote share in the recent elections, wields considerable power on the ground. In some cases, the BJP has indulged in brinkmanship and fanned violence.

On Sunday, for instance, the BJP insisted that it would bring the bodies of its two workers killed in Sandeshkhali to be cremated in Kolkata, three hours away. This was an obvious attempt to mine political capital from the violence. When they were stopped the police, BJP officials threatened to cremate the bodies on the highway. They backed down only after a long standoff.

Political circles in West Bengal are pointing out that the situation is reminiscent of the time the Trinamool challenged the Communists in the early 2000s and how, half a century earlier, the Communists had challenged the Congress. But this tumultuous past does not absolve either party of the responsibility for the present violence. If they really believe that the interests of West Bengal are greater than their own political ambitions, the Trinamool and the BJP will dial down the tension and end the state’s spiral into violence.