Fresh Stone Pelting In West Bengal’s Hooghly; Train Services Affected

Hooghly (West Bengal):

Railway properties were damaged and train services affected after fresh violence broke out late last night in West Bengal’s Rishra, a day after clashes during a BJP procession in the area.

Local, mail and express train services on the Howrah-Bardhaman main line had been suspended following the violence, Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Kaushik Miron said. Train services resumed this morning after railway officials examined the tracks.

Riot control force, which has been deployed in Hooghly district following a spate of violence since Ram Navami, are now guarding the Rishra station area to prevent an escalation.

The districts of Hooghly and Howrah near Kolkata have been on the boil after communal clashes broke out during Ram Navami rallies.

Several vehicles were set on fire on Thursday after two groups clashed in Howrah. Public property was vandalised and police had to use tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.

A fresh round of violence erupted in Hooghly Sunday. Among those injured was BJP MLA Biman Ghosh.

The violent clashes prompted the Trinamool Congress government to suspend Internet services and put prohibitory orders in place.

The violent clashes have sparked a political slugfest between the ruling Trinamool and the BJP.

Accusing the BJP of engineering the communal violence in Howrah, Trinamool’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has released a video from a religious procession in which a young man was seen holding a firearm.

BJP’s DANGABAJI FORMULA at work again:

🧨 Provoke & instigate communities against each other.

💣 Supply weapons to incite violence.

⚔️Create communal tension deliberately.

🤹🏼🎁 Reap political benefits.

A classic unholy blueprint right out of the @BJP4India playbook!👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/HKZ0BmIlCm

— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) March 31, 2023

“BJP’s DANGABAJI FORMULA at work again: Provoke & instigate communities against each other. Supply weapons to incite violence. Create communal tension deliberately. Reap political benefits. A classic unholy blueprint right out of the @BJP4India playbook!,” Mr Banerjee captioned the video post.

The BJP has now alleged that the video posted by Mr Banerjee, also Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, is not from the Howrah rally that was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

VHP, the organisers of the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra in Howrah, release footage and allege that the video posted by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee is not from their Yatra. He is maligning Hindus and should be investigated for dividing people on religious lines. It is a criminal offence. https://t.co/sNfWxZF9oEpic.twitter.com/v8YCNzi7QU

— BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) April 3, 2023

“VHP, the organisers of the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra in Howrah, release footage and allege that the video posted by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee is not from their Yatra. He is maligning Hindus and should be investigated for dividing people on religious lines. It is a criminal offence,” the BJP’s Bengal unit tweeted from its official handle.

NDTV cannot verify the authenticity of the videos.