The three-member committee formed by the Calcutta High Court to look into last month’s violence in Murshidabad has said in its report that police were “completely inactive”.
The report also mentioned local Trinamool Congress leader Mehboob Alam. “The attacks were directed by the local councillor Mehboob Alam. The local police were completely inactive and absent,” the report said of the violence that took place on April 11.
The Calcutta High Court had last month directed the formation of a three-member committee to oversee the rehabilitation of those affected by the violence that broke out in Murshidabad between April 8 and 12 following protests against the Waqf Amendment Bill. The committee comprises Joginder Singh, Registrar, National Human Rights Commission; Satya Arnab Ghosal, member secretary, West Bengal Legal Services Authority; and Saugata Chakraborty, Registrar, WBJS.
The committee’s report said that miscreants destroyed a waterbottle shop and looted the cash box containing Rs 12,000-13,000. A shopping mall located in ward no 12 was also completely looted and closed, and 29 shops were affected in Ghoshpara, the report said.
“Residents of Samserganj, Hizaltala, Shiulitala, (and) Digri came masking their faces. Local councillor, namely Mehoob Alam, came with the miscreants on April 11. The MLA was also present on Friday (April 11). He saw the vandalism and went away, but the violence continued on April 12, Saturday,” the report said.
TMC spokesperson Joy Prakash Majumdar told The Indian Express, “We do not know anything about such a report. So, I would not like to make any comment.”
The Calcutta High Court had on Friday directed the TMC government in the state to “remunerate and restore” all parties whose lives and properties were affected during the clashes in Murshidabad. The court was hearing a PIL in connection with the violence that broke out between April 8 and 12 in the Jangipur subdivision of Murshidabad, leading to the deaths of three persons, including a father-son duo.
A Division Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury said, “Compensating the victims by giving each of them Rs 1.20 lakh under the scheme ‘Banglar Bari’ may not do justice to all as the damaged and destroyed houses, differing in size and constructional features…” The Bench, in its order, also urged the state to consider appeals by local residents for a permanent Border Security Force (BSF) camp in the area and asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to “continue investigating the issue to bring the perpetrators to justice”.