Controversial Facebook posting resulted in communal flare up and ransacking of many Hindu shops in two markets in border sub division of Basirhat

         

Katiahat village under Baduria police station in the sub-division of Basirhat is just like another village of West Bengal. Hindus have been organizing Durga Puja in Katiahat market for last 20 years. This year, one Muslim built his small gumti-shop on van at the designated place for Puja. Few days ago the market committee approached him and requested him to move his shop from that place as pandal was to be built at that place.

On last Friday, that Muslim shop owner went to offer prayer at local masjid and came out with severe chest pain. He was admitted to hospital where he died on Saturday. Local Muslims smelt a conspiracy by Hindus in his death and attacked Katiahat market on Saturday. Shops owned by Hindus were looted and ransacked. Finally, police, along with RAF were deployed to bring the situation under control. The market is still closed. 

Hapless Hindus at Katiahat failed to build pandal for the traditional Durga Puja. Moreover, their shops being looted & ransacked without any reason, made them very frustrated. Out of the frustration, one local boy, on Sunday night, made a post on Facebook criticizing the incident. He also posted some pictures of the ransacked Hindu shops in market. The post was liked and shared by some of his local friends as well. Allegedly two boys made some offensive comments. Local Muslims came to know about the post. They were furious. They printed poster with picture of 3 Hindu boys demanding their severe punishment and pasted throughout the area on Monday resulted in rising of communal tension. Today morning Muslims forcibly closed the shops at nearby Sayestanagar market and ransacked at least 8 Hindu shops. Police started searching for the boys who made or shared the post and caught one of them. His name is Pritam Sarkar although he pleaded innocence. Police also arrested Shubhajit Pal’s father Pravas Chandra Pal whose shop has been totally destroyed by the Muslim miscreants this morning.

Hindus have started leaving the area. This area although Hindu majority, but the nexus between the police, pol party and most powerful smugglers made common Hindus extremely vulnerable. 

It should be mentioned here that in recent Parliament election, Hindus voted for BJP in large scale. In one booth here, TMC got only 8 votes out of total 400 votes. Now Hindus are attacked, are in great danger. No BJP leader, even of Block level, can be seen anywhere near the affected area