Religious discrimination is always blameworthy and allegations of state-sponsored majoritarian communalism, especially from the alleged votaries of secularism – Leftists and Islamists, are not new. But the same forces prefer to retain a strange silence when the situation gets reverse and the same is going on at Ranigarh, Jyotishpur Bazar, P.S.: Basanti, West Bengal in full swing.
The neighborhood is known for its Radha Krishna Temple, has been performing Durga Puja, greatest festival of Bengali Hindus, for 32 years at a stretch. But the situation started to worsen when the Muslim community of the vicinity did settle on to organize an Id-Milan Utsav in the field adjacent to the said Temple on 31.10.10. The decision, clearly discerned as a ploy to usurp political control of the entire area was enough to stimulate local Hindus and owing to their determination and struggle tooth and nail, the sinister design did suffer a humiliating defeat.
Meanwhile local leaderships of CPM & RSP did leave no stone unturned to go on with the Id-Milan Utsav, but the resistance of Hindus proved to be strong for them.
Situation was out of the frying pan into the fire when local Muslims started to avenge the defeat – Nagar Sankirtan teams of the Temple (a common Vaishnavite ritual taking place early in the morning) were insulted, threatened for consecutive days and women were manhandled in particular. However, this was somewhat trivial compared to the recent events on account of Laxmi Puja. The pandal or makeshift temple for worshipping the Goddess in the Radha Krishna Temple did suffer a sacrilege. The head of Idol of Goddess Laxmi along with two hands were chopped off; the entire pandal was also desecrated.
The situation was enough to infuriate the local Hindus who burst into protest. Witnessing the mounting Hindu rage police contingents were deployed with immediate effect but it was all to no avail. Even Subhash Naskar, Irrigation Minster of the State of West Bengal and local RSP leader tried to pacify the situation. But, contrary to his own belief, he was gheraoed for no less than almost two hours and could get out of the place under police protection and certainly benevolence of local Hindu youth.
Police officers (I.C. Pinaki Roy and others) tried to their best to make Hindus immerse the broken idol but the obstinacy of Hindus, not ready to do the same till taking into custody of the culprits, could not be dealt with by them. Nevertheless the partisan attitude of the administration has got revealed though several incidents hitherto – gravest of these has been non-availability of any authentic number or governmental authorization even after lodging an FIR.
In the evening a mob of 200-300 Muslims gathered to assault the Hindus but checked by the timely intervention of the police. Tension reigns supreme in the neighborhood.
P.S.: The police has forced Hindus to immerse the desecrated Idol of Goddess Laxmi and has taken a few Hindu youth into custody to maintain tranquility. However, any culprit is yet to get arrested.
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