Baduria violence: BSF deployed, Internet suspended

The Centre has rushed 400 paramilitary personnel to Baduria that is hit by communal violence, which started over an objectionable post on Facebook about a holy site.

As a precautionary measure, the government has suspended Internet services in the area so that rumours are not spread.

Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the West Bengal government over communal clashes.

Baduria is a town and a municipality and police station of Basirhat subdivision in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. The troubled spot is adjacent to Bangladesh border.

Four companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed at Baduria, Swarupnagar and Degangatame to tame the communal tension.

The protesters had mobbed Basirhat police station. And the police from neighbouring police stations had no access to the area till

the BSF was deployed on Tuesday night.

Apart from the BSF, a rapid action force team of the Kolkata police and another contingent of the Howrah city police have also been deployed in the violence-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the main accused, who allegedly posted objectionable material on Facebook on Sunday, was arrested on Monday morning and remanded to the police custody for four days.

However, this didn't calm down the members of the protesting community and they resorted to violence and torched the home of the accused.

On Tuesday evening, protestors torched police and government vehicles. Superintendent of police (North 24 Parganas) Bhaskar Mukherjee was also injured when an angry mob attacked him and torched his vehicle.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed the warring groups to maintain peace and communal harmony in the area. She also held local police responsible for failing to block Facebook in the beginning only.

CM Mamata, however, warned the protesters not to test her patience and said hundreds of people would have been killed had police opened fire.

In Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary and In-charge of Party unit in West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya wrote a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh to intervene in the matter on Tuesday.

He alleged that 2000 Muslims attacked the homes of Hindus and also molested the girls and women and ransacked five BJP offices.

Vijayvargia also said that "as the troubled spot is adjacent to Bangladesh border, there is a possibility that 'outsiders' were involved in this violence".

A local resident and ex-CRPF personnel Mohd Abdul Rehman told ANI that "around 15 unknown persons torched government vehicles and when we objected they asked us to do whatever we were doing and let them to do their work".

Rehman further added: "We doused the fire by carrying buckets of water from the house of a Hindu family".

He maintained that Baduria is a peaceful town and both the communities have been living here peacefully.

However, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh on Wednesday posted a video on Twitter and tweeted, "Disturbing pics from Baduria, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal #Mamata and secular media r sleeping (sic).