Prophet Row: WB BJP President Released, Internet Suspended in Several Districts

Sukanta Majumdar was held while attempting to visit Howrah, the site of violence over the Prophet remarks row.

Fresh clashes broke out between the police and a group of protesters in West Bengal's Kolkata on Saturday, 11 June, a day after communal violence and protests in the capital city over the Prophet remarks row.

(Photo: PTI)

After fresh instances of violence in West Bengal's Howrah and other areas on Saturday, 11 June, the internet has been suspended in Beldanga, Murshidabad till 6 am on 14 June.

The government in a statement claimed that this is a measure to stop the spread of rumours and prevent unlawful activities.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police released Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state President Sukanta Majumdar, hours after he was arrested.

Earlier, Majumdar was held under preventive sections along with other party workers as he tried to visit Howrah, the site of violence during a protest against BJP leaders' for their remarks on Prophet Muhammad.

Majumdar had claimed that he was placed under house arrest on CM Mamata Banerjee's orders and stopped from visiting violence-hit areas.

Fresh clashes had broken out between the police and a group of protesters in Howrah on Saturday morning, a day after protests in Kolkata's Park Circus area over the derogatory remarks made by two BJP leaders against the Prophet.

The clashes were also reported from Howrah's Panchla Bazaar. Police used tear gas shells to disperse the protesters after incidents of stone-pelting.

Visuals circulating on social media showed police personnel attempting to douse a fire at an establishment in Panchla Bazaar, amid the clashes.

West Bengal CM Banerjee said that "strict action would be taken" against "some political parties" behind the violence.

"I have said this before. For two days now, normal life in Howrah has been disrupted and incidents of violence engineered. Some political parties are behind this and they want to trigger riots. But this will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken. The BJP has sinned, and the people will suffer?" she tweeted in Bengali

Mamata Banerjee tweeted about the violence.

(Photo: Twitter/MamataBanerjee)

70 Rioters Arrested

A senior police official said that over 70 rioters had been arrested from different regions, including Howrah, across West Bengal for arson and violence over the last two days.

"No one will be spared," the officer said, as massive crackdowns and raids commenced.

The clashes in Howrah on Saturday morning came even as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) had been imposed in Howrah after the unrest on Friday.

Top Police Officials Shuffled

The government on Saturday, 11 June, shuffled top police officials in Howrah Commissionerate and Howrah Rural in the wake of the violent protests.

IPS Praveen Tripathi is the new Howrah Police Commissioner and IPS Swati Bhangalia is the new Howrah Rural SP.

Two BJP Offices Set Ablaze on Friday

The BJP office was set ablaze in Howrah's Panchla on Friday during protests over remarks on Prophet Muhammad by BJP leaders, including by former spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

Internet services in the entire jurisdiction of Howrah were suspended till 6 am on Monday, 13 June, an order from the West Bengal government read.

"In view of the recent events in some areas, Internet transmissions and Voice over Internet Telephony may be used for spreading rumour for unlawful activities in Howrah district over the next few days," the order read.

Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in and around stretches of the National Highways and Railway Stations under the Uluberia Sub-Division in Howrah, the order read, prohibiting five or more people from assembling, as well as the carriage of "lathi or other dangerous weapons" until 15 June.

"The situation in Howrah district is peaceful. No incident of protest or violence has been reported since Friday night. We have deployed huge police contingents in sensitive areas," a police officer told PTI.

Noting that vehicular movement and train services were normal, the IPS officer told PTI that markets and other businesses were also unaffected. The police were taking all precautionary measures and "are read to handle any situation," he said.

"We will not allow anyone to create disturbance in the district and ensure that peace prevails. We are keeping a close watch on the situation," he added.

'On CM's Instruction, Police Has House Arrested Me': Sukanta 

BJP Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar had earlier claimed that he was placed under house arrest on CM Banerjee's orders, and was stopped from visiting violence-hit areas in Howrah.

Majumdar had shared visuals of police vehicles, personnel, and barricades outside his residence, telling Banerjee that action was needed "against people destroying property and disturbing peace in the state," and not against BJP leaders.

Speaking to reporters outside his residence, Majumdar had said that he was set to visit the areas in Howrah where the party's offices were burnt and ransacked. "I want to know under which rule I am being stopped from visiting Howrah," he said.

West Bengal's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari condemned the act in a tweet, calling the house arrest "proof that they are hiding the truth."

Adhikari condemned the house arrest in a tweet.

(Photo: Twitter/SuvenduWB)

Adhikari had written to Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday, noting that the roads "blocked by rioters" had left about "ten thousand cars and one lakh people" stuck on the road.

Stating that the law and order situation in West Bengal "had completely collapsed," Adhikari then requested the governor to "call in and deploy Indian Army or paramilitary forces" to control the situation at the earliest, thus saving damage to life and assets in wake of the protests.