West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged Governor CV Ananda Bose to postpone his planned visit to Murshidabad, a district in the state recently rocked by communal clashes. The violence, which erupted following the introduction of the newly enacted Waqf Amendment Act, led to the deaths of three people and left several others injured.
Banerjee, speaking from the state secretariat Nabanna, appealed to the Governor not to visit the region just yet, stating that confidence-building measures were underway to restore peace and that the situation was gradually returning to normal. She further advised non-locals, including the Governor, to refrain from visiting the violence-hit area at present to avoid escalating tensions.
“I would appeal to the Governor to wait for a few more days, as confidence-building measures are underway. The situation is normalising,” Banerjee said, urging the Governor to reconsider his visit.
However, despite Banerjee’s request, Governor Bose remained firm in his decision to travel to Murshidabad, emphasizing that his visit was crucial to assess the ground situation and form an objective understanding of the events. “I will certainly visit Murshidabad. I will go to the field to see for myself the realities. The situation has been brought under control. We should take further steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” Governor Bose said.
He also acknowledged requests from the local community for a Border Security Force (BSF) camp to be set up in the area, a measure that could enhance security and prevent future unrest.
Regarding the government’s efforts to stabilize the situation in Murshidabad, Chief Minister Banerjee revealed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had already been formed to probe the violence. She also promised to rebuild the houses of those affected by the clashes and stated that the administration was working to restore public confidence.
In an effort to maintain peace, a significant deployment of police personnel, along with central paramilitary forces, has been made to ensure security in the area.
While tensions have been high in Murshidabad, both the state government and the Governor appear to be working in parallel to address the ongoing situation, though their approaches diverge in terms of on-the-ground interventions. The coming days will determine whether the region will fully stabilize or if further measures will be necessary to prevent more unrest.
Sources By Agencies