West Bengal communal violence: After mayhem, sanity returns to Basirhat

After a week long violence which was sparked at Baduria in North 24 Parganas district over an ‘objectionable’ post on facebook by a student, peace is returning to the trouble-torn area thanks to the joint initiative of people of both communities.

The violence which had spread from Baduria to various pockets of Basirhat where the population comprises a good mix of both the communities, has left the placed tensed. Police and Central forces are still deployed at several areas but with every passing day, more shops are being opened and more number of vehicles are seen plying.

Rashidul Haque, a local businessman of Baduria said that it was not a communal clash initially. “On July 3, it was a protest of Muslims here against the administration which did not take steps against the offending student who had put up the post on social media. That very day, a local Muslim leader here, Abdul Matin, through a video message on Whatsapp had told people here that ‘not a drop of blood of either a Hindu or a Muslim should be shed’,” he said, sharing the video message with DNA.

Some local residents had been trying to make amends since Saturday. “Whatever has happened on …read more