According to a senior member of the Howrah City Police, the situation in and around Kazipara, which saw skirmishes between two factions during a parade on Ram Navami, is calm and under control since several police officers were still stationed there on Friday. He stated that during the night, searches and raids were carried out in several areas near Kazipara, and 35 persons have so far been taken into custody in relation to the altercation. The source told PTI that the situation was calm and under control, adding that top police officials were present in the area. “We have conducted searches at several locations and detained 35 individuals thus far in connection with Thursday’s conflict,” the official said.
Video recordings will be used to confirm the inmates’ identities, and then legal action will be taken against the offenders. said he. On Thursday night, as a Ram Navami procession was carried out in the twin city of Howrah, fighting broke out between two factions. Four fire tenders were called into duty to put out the fire, and the police used force to disperse the crowd after many cars, including some that belonged to the police, were set on fire. Moreover, stores and auto-rickshaws were looted during the incident.
To regain quiet in the area, a sizable police presence was sent in. The city’s dharna-bound chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, promised that the offenders will face harsh punishment. She accused the BJP of attempting to inflame racial animosity during the Ram Navami parade in Howrah and said those responsible would not escape punishment. The state’s home minister, Banerjee, said that the BJP had recruited thugs from neighbouring states to plan racial unrest. If they feel they will attack others and gain relief via legal interventions, they must realise that the people would reject them one day, she added. “Why did they alter the route [at the last minute] and take the unapproved path to target and attack one community?
Suvendu Adhikari, a senior BJP official, called the accusations unfounded. He said that the state government and the chief minister are to blame for the violence.
