BENGALI I S BECOMING AN ENDANGER RACE IN WEST BENGAL

Wild Hindu-Muslim conflict shock Mandirbazar, South 24 Paraganas

Islamist youth arrested with bombs in Nimpith

With each day it passes, communal conflagration is rising across Bengal and it is getting apparent, if the police fails to rein in South 24 Paraganas, violent clashes on the rise here may dismantle the entire governance. Such riotousness was witnessed on March 16 at 4.30 pm in the village of Sharifnagar under the jurisdiction of the police station of Mandirbazar in the district of South 24 Paraganas when almost 400 Islamists assailed the residence of Shymaprasad Pramanik. The house of Shymaprasad Pramanik is at Chotopol (just behind the village’s crossway) and he has been living there for more than four decades at a stretch. He is known for his virtuousness in the locality and started living here when the same crossway was covered with bulrushes almost. With the passage of decades, lots have changed and this includes demography of the village as well. In the last few years, a great number of Muslims have turned up leaving Shymaprasad Pramanik and his family as the only Hindu family around the crossway. It must be mentioned, Shymaprasad gave up a small piece of land to let Muslims use it as an alleyway. 

To get hold of the crossway or the very tract containing Pramanik family’s residence, there have been villainous designs for long. However, fortitude and stiff resistance of the entire family to such a wicked ploy has been the only hindrance. To take hold of the land, almost 400 Islamists from the neighboring villages of Digberia, Sekenderpur, Lalpur (within the jurisdiction of police station of Mathurapur) and also other areas of the same village of Sharifnagar, raided. Aged wife of Shymaprasad Pramanik, then, was busy to gather firewood. The attackers forayed into the house, chucked out the firewood and when the aged woman protested, she was beaten by mercilessly. Hearing her crying, other members of the family rushed to the spot and what followed next was a furious battle. Even if Hindus were just almost 10 in numbers, the large group of Islamists was beaten hollow leading to a ruckus in the entire area. Soon the family was joined by other Hindus and it seemed as if a full-fledged battle was going to turn out.

Thanks to the timely intervention of local police, the situation did not worsen but Govinda Pramanik, son of Shymaprasad Pramanik, was taken into custody. A Muslim youth was also arrested. Today, on March 17, Rajkumar Sardar from Hindu Samhati went to the police station to release Govinda. But it proved to be a difficult game altogether to release him and in this context, Rajkumar Sardar was troubled most by Shamina Khatun, a young Muslim lady and also government employee, who left no stone unturned to espouse Islamists and was even found to justify their grisly raids also. After lots of deliberations, Govinda Pramanik as well as the Muslim individual was released.  

Meanwhile, Halim Bagnani (age 28), son of Mujibur Bagnani living in the village of Taluk Ranaghat within the jurisdiction of the police station of Mathurapur in the same district was caught red handed with two bombs on March 16 at 7 pm before the CI office at Nimpith. Halim was not alone; two Muslim youths were also in the same motorbike and the team was heading to Joynagar. Once they reached the CI office, they were stopped by police but the other two managed to escape presumably with revolvers, according to police.  While Halim is detained, investigations for the two escapees are unabated.

Apprehensions are rising that unless these vicious approaches are contained, Bengal will turn into the most violent state of India soon. It will no more be one of the most communally sensitive states in the country.