Maheshtala/Kolkata, June 12: Authorities in West Bengal have arrested 40 people following violent clashes in Maheshtala, South 24 Parganas district, that left several police personnel injured and triggered a political face-off between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The violence erupted on Wednesday afternoon in Ward No. 7 of Maheshtala, reportedly over the setting up of a shop. The situation escalated after allegations surfaced that a place of worship – a Shiva temple – had been attacked, turning the incident into a communal flashpoint.
“The situation is under control. Prohibitory orders have been imposed,” said Jawed Shamim, Additional Director General (Law and Order), West Bengal Police.
The West Bengal Police arrested 28 individuals, while the Kolkata Police detained 12 more. At least a dozen police personnel, including a Deputy Commissioner, were injured during efforts to disperse the mobs, authorities said. Seven First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered.
Shops remained closed on Thursday morning, and heavy police deployment was visible in the area as authorities removed vandalised vehicles from the streets. The Rabindra Nagar Police Station is located just 100 metres from the site of the violence, but locals alleged the police presence was initially insufficient to contain the unrest.
The BJP accused the state police of downplaying what it described as a “communal attack” on Hindus. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who led a walkout from the Assembly along with BJP MLAs, met Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and demanded the deployment of Central forces.
Adhikari also approached the Calcutta High Court and wrote to the Superintendent of Police of Diamond Harbour and the state’s Director General of Police, seeking permission to visit affected families in Maheshtala. “This visit is a step towards understanding their grievances and ensuring their voices are heard,” he wrote on social media.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), meanwhile, blamed the BJP for stoking communal tensions. The party claimed that one of the persons arrested from nearby Budge-Budge, Nabin Chandra Roy, was a declared BJP worker and that explosives were recovered from him.
“People of Mamata Banerjee’s party are turning Bengal into a valley of extremists and are protecting them,” Adhikari had earlier alleged in reference to comments made by the Chief Minister on the Pulwama attack.
The West Bengal Police issued a warning on social media, urging residents not to fall for rumours and stating that anyone attempting to incite unrest would face strict legal action.
The violence comes weeks after communal clashes in Murshidabad’s Samserganj and Dhulian areas, where three people were killed and hundreds displaced.
On Tuesday, the West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution lauding the Indian armed forces for recent actions against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and condemned the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
