Mamata Banerjee claims Ram Navami clashes were 'pre-planned'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating the violence during Ram Navami celebrations in Murshidabad district on Wednesday. At a political rally in Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday, she claimed that "everything was pre-planned." "The DIG of Murshidabad was removed a day ahead of Ram Navami so that you (the BJP) can carry out violence," she alleged. She also alleged that BJP supporters assaulted police personnel in Murshidabad.
Opposition leader calls for investigation into Ram Navami clashes
Her charge came shortly after Suvendu Adhikari, the opposition leader in West Bengal, blamed Banerjee for the clashes. Adhikari had also called for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the incident. He attributed the unrest to Banerjee's alleged inflammatory speech, stating "The Ram Navami processions were disrupted and attacked at various places across West Bengal, due to the CM's provocative speech, which successfully incited miscreants." The violence resulted in injuries to four people.
BJP leaders accuse Banerjee of inciting violence over votes
Sukanta Mazumdar, the Bengal BJP chief, joined Adhikari in accusing Banerjee of inciting violence to secure minority votes. He alleged that TMC workers attacked a peaceful Ram Navami procession and demanded an NIA inquiry into the matter. Meanwhile, Amit Malviya, the BJP IT cell chief, blamed Banerjee's "vituperative and communal speeches" for the attacks on Ram devotees across Bengal, stating, "Bengal is falling apart and Mamata Banerjee is responsible for it."
What happened on Ram Navami
On Wednesday, while a procession held by the Shaktipur Ram Navami Utsav Ujjapan Committee was passing by Shaktipur High School, unidentified miscreants allegedly pelted stones from rooftops. The violence was quelled when police officers accompanying the parade chased away the troublemakers, and additional forces were called in. State BJP leaders who participated in the processions, some of whom were caught wielding swords in defiance of court restrictions, accused the TMC of failing to protect Hindus during the attack.
