Thursday, 24 April 2025
Thursday, 24 April 2025
A team from the National Commission for Women led by chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar is in Murshidabad’s Dhulian to visit the violence affected people.
Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, reached the areas affected by Murshidabad violence, starting with Shamsherganj on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, Bose visited the camps in Malda, where several families affected by the riots have been sheltered.
Bose spoke with the affected families and said, "They (victims) want to have a sense of security and certainly some other demands or whatever suggestions given by them. All this will be considered. I will take it up with the Government of India and the State Government for appropriate action. I'll follow it up. I once asked them to feel free to talk to me directly. The phone number has also been given. We'll be in touch with them. Certainly, very effective proactive steps will be taken."
Earlier, a team from the National Commission for Women led by chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar is in Murshidabad’s Dhulian to visit the violence affected people.
“Let me speak with the people here first, only then will I be able to comment further. From what we’ve seen so far, the situation is extremely distressing. We can already feel their pain and suffering. I’ll meet with them once before saying more," Rahatkar told media persons after reaching Murshidabad.
Violence broke out in some parts of Murshidabad over anti-Waqf amendment protests that left three people dead and thousands displaced, as their homes were razed and burnt in the mob frenzy.
“The governor will be visiting the riot-hit areas in Murshidabad today. He will assess the situation himself and talk to the locals,” said a Raj Bhavan official. Bose is also scheduled to travel to Dhuliyan, Suti, and Jangipur in the district.
Before heading to Shamsherganj, Bose spoke with members of the affected families at a guest house in Farakka, where he has been staying since Friday night.
Despite a request from chief minister Mamata Banerjee to postpone his visit, the governor arrived in Malda on Friday and met residents who have taken shelter at a temporary refugee camp after fleeing the violence. “I met the family members who are at the camp here. They have briefed me in detail. There will certainly be proactive action taken,” Bose said.
On Friday, the NCW team reached Malda and interacted with women affected by the violence, which occurred in several Muslim-majority pockets in Murshidabad and south Malda between April 8 and 12. More than 274 have been arrested so far.
On the same day, a delegation from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) visited a temporary shelter camp at Parlalpur High School in Baishnabnagar. This camp has been housing families displaced from Dhulian since the unrest. The three-member NHRC delegation spoke with the families and inquired about the events that led to the violence and the current state of affairs.
According to the families in the camp, soon after the NHRC team left, officials began urging them to return home soon after the NHRC team left. Tensions escalated when the displaced people gheraoed Malda Sadar sub-divisional officer Pankaj Tamang and Kaliachak Block III BDO Sukanta Sikdar Friday night.
The NCW delegation also visited the same shelter camp. After they left, a group of people surrounded the police and staged a protest. They alleged that they were still unable to meet their relatives and feared returning to their homes.
Vijaya Rahatkar reached the residence of the father and son duo in Jafrabad, who were allegedly killed in the violence. Rahatkar said, "These people are in so much pain, that I am speechless right now. I don't have the words to describe their pain. The suffering these people are going through is inhuman. We will put their demands in front of the government."
BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury said, "This my constituency, Dakshin Malda. It comprises of Murshidabad and Malda. I have been fighting here for last 12 years and what I have watched that never here in the last 12 years, this kind of attacks have happened. There are some pro-terror operators who are possibly hiding here somewhere, they have engineered this and have used the local children, creating a horror here."
“The NCW is not N̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ C̶o̶m̶m̶i̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ f̶o̶r̶ W̶o̶m̶e̶n̶ but Notorious Commission for Whitepapers. In Sandeshkhali NCW made women sign blank papers to cook up fictitious rape charges. Now, at BJP’s behest, NCW in Malda and Murshidabad. The question must be asked: more white papers incoming?,” asked Sagorika Ghose, Trinamool’s deputy leader in Rajya Sabha.
