Bansberia is the next station from Bandel Junction on the Howrah-Katwa route in Hooghly district of West Bengal. It was once a flourishing industrial town but now its sheen is gone. A terrible incident of communal violence in Bansberia took place on August 15th, when the country was celebrating its Independence Day.
The mainstream media has mostly downplayed the communal violence in Bansberia, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sukanta Majumdar has even issued a statement on the issue blaming a certain “section”. The other political parties have also protested the violence.
Although communal violence in Bansberia did not attract as much attention as incidents of communal violence during the Ram Navami celebration, it is no less important. Because communal hatred in this rugged industrial town has its roots in the rivalry among students of a high school.
The road to the epicentre
When the correspondent reached the Bansberia Railway Station on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 16th, the vicinity wore a desolate look. It’s claimed that the area generally has very less footfall during the afternoon. However, after spending a few moments there it was realised that the quietness was unusual. An ominous silence prevailed.
“The business is bad, and the situation has worsened due to this unrest”.
There was a battery-driven e-rickshaw and one manual rickshaw outside the station. When the middle-aged e-rickshaw driver was asked whether he would ferry the correspondent to Kalbazar, he said, “You can’t go there as there is unrest”. Saying this, the e-rickshaw driver referred to the old rickshaw puller.
The old rickshaw puller was also not willing to go to Kalbazar. But he agreed to go up to the Hangsheshwari temple. It takes about ten minutes to walk from the temple to Kalbazar.
The old rickshaw puller said, “There is a lot of unrest there. Bombing and shooting took place there today; the police will not allow going there.” But he refused to name any particular community or political party involved in or responsible for the violence.
The name of the old rickshaw puller is Manik Karmakar. Although he looks over 70, Karmakar claims to be 62, because he has not been getting his old age allowance. In the process of pursuing the pension, he managed to confirm his real age. While pulling the rickety rickshaw in the pouring rain, Karmakar looked at the cloudy sky and said, “The business is bad, and the situation has worsened due to this unrest”.
While taking the fare in front of Hangsheshwari temple, the old man said that he took out his rickshaw at 9.30 am, but there were no passengers and he earned nothing, that’s why he didn’t eat for the whole day. The correspondent was his first passenger. He said he will go to have his first meal then; it was 3.45pm.
A group of non-Bengali youths were seen walking along the concrete road next to the Hangsheshwari Pond. When they were asked about the route to reach Kalbazar, they advised the correspondent not to go in that direction. According to them, “There is still trouble there and the police have encircled the area”.
These youths claim that there was a scuffle in front of them on Independence Day; first, the school students fought, and then the scuffle started in Kalbazar. Even on Wednesday, bombs were hurled and shooting continued, they alleged.
“Write good things for the Hindus, only our fault is shown”
None of the youths agreed to identify themselves. But they said they were locals, each a former student of Ganges High School, and are currently studying at the local Bidhan Chandra College.
They told East Post that the skirmish started around the Hangsheshwari temple on Tuesday, between 9 am and 9.30 am. The violence gradually reached the Sheetala temple, where local Tamils were worshipping. They alleged stone pelting and bombing ensued there until the night.
When these students were asked what exactly they saw on Tuesday, they said, “We only saw a scuffle, we stopped it and went home”. When asked why there was a disturbance, it was reported that they can’t specifically say why did the scuffle start.
These youths claim that they do not know any current school students. One of them said to the reporter, “Write good things for the Hindus, only our fault is shown”. Some of this group also claimed that minority community school students were walking around with national flags on iron pipes on Independence Day, and they attacked others with those pipes. Although they could not give the details of any victims injured during these attacks.
Along the road, another group of youths stopped the correspondent, just before Ganges High School, which is suspected to be the epicentre of the communal violence in Bansberia. They warned the correspondent from going further citing danger of violence.
Among them, Gangu Mallick (30) is a municipal worker. Mallick told East Post, “Yesterday, a boy came out of school carrying the national flag, someone snatched the flag from his hand, and a scuffle started over this.” Although he had seen the students, he does not know their names or addresses – Mallick claimed.
Through the empty road, some Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were seen entering the school gate. It was 4.10 pm. Proceeding along the road, at the Dhulunia junction, the correspondent reached the Kalyani Expressway, but the road was quite desolate, except for some e-rickshaws or vehicles that were occasionally plying.
While there were no police or RAF personnel, some bridge construction workers were working at the site. The situation was not at all what the people near the station or Hangsheshwari claimed.
Although there were a few e-rickshaws on the road, they kept informing their passengers that they will not go to certain areas. Among these e-rickshaw drivers were people from both communities, who share passengers daily.
At the epicentre of communal violence in Bansberia
An e-rickshaw driver in his 50s, who did not want to be named, said, “What do you know about the problem? If your daughter goes out with a veil or ghoongat, then what if someone else comes and tries to forcefully see her face? These things have never happened before.” He alleged that the trouble has its roots in the incident where the veil of a minority girl was forcefully taken off behind the police station on Tuesday.
“We Bengalis chant slogans like Vandematram or use the names of Subhash Bose or Rabindranath, but it is not like that for them. Non-Bengali Hindu students chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’.”
Hooghly District Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Subrata Chatterjee, popularly known as Raja Chatterjee, lives in Shibpur near the epicentre of the violence. His office had a thick crowd of grassroots activists, who had a visible sign of worry looming on their faces.
Chatterjee told East Post, “Some time ago there was a disturbance in Ganges School over hijab. It was a quarrel among students. That trouble has been resolved, but yesterday’s incident centred around the hoisting of the flag on Independence Day. We Bengalis chant slogans like Vandematram or use the names of Subhash Bose or Rabindranath, but it is not like that for them. Non-Bengali Hindu students chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Non-Bengali Muslim students were forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Naturally, the Muslim students did not agree, resulting in pushing and shoving among the students. This incident spilt out of the school and the violence gradually spread.”
Chatterjee also said, “I hear that the principal has a one-sided attitude. We will review it later and see if the principal played a provocative role. The police have taken a very supportive role. The two communities got involved in the students’ fight and then a brickbat resumed in the jute mill’s quarters. The roofs of many houses were partially damaged due to the impact of bricks hurled. We (TMC) had been busy with various events on the occasion of August 15th.”
He added that there were incidents of violence, especially in Ward no 10 and Ward no 19. However, Ward no 9, 11 and 20 were also affected. The TMC leader said that there was no trouble in the rest of the wards, wherever Bengalis live, whether Hindus or Muslims. “I am saying this with pride. You will see Ghazi Dargah mosque next to us, there are many Muslims here, and there is no trouble here”.
He said that the situation calmed down after the brickbat on Independence Day. But on the morning of August 16th, trouble started again. TMC leader Chatterjee also claimed to have heard the sounds of bombs and gunshots. He also pointed a finger at BJP leader Butu Pal for communal violence in Bansberia.
In Kalitala, Hooghly district BJP vice-president Jayraj Pal, alias Butu Pal, was sitting at a roadside medicine shop. At first, he hesitated to introduce himself, but then he agreed to talk. The BJP leader told East Post, “We were attending the Independence Day function. Our MP Locket Chatterjee was there, state president Sukanta (Majumder) was there, and we got the news that the national flag was torn down by some members of a community. Not only this, the national flag was snatched from the hands of school-going girls and thrown into the drain. It’s reported that some had even urinated on it”.
Pal claimed that on the day of the incident, he repeatedly tried to enter the area but the police stopped him. As a result, he could not enter the area. He also claimed that those who suffered head injuries couldn’t be admitted to the hospital.
Although the BJP leader couldn’t provide the name and address of any students who tore the national flag, or those who suffered head injuries. He claimed that there is no internet connection in the area, Section 144 has been imposed, and no one is allowed to enter, so he has no information. Pal also said, “Party workers are afraid to talk on the phone. They are communicating on WhatsApp”.
Although the reporter saw internet connectivity down in several areas, phone services remained operational. It’s not clear how the party workers of the BJP were communicating on WhatsApp with leaders like Pal.
Ganges Jute Mill worker Mohammad Ali Raza (30) said that on Independence Day, a group of school students from Dhulania approached the mill gate chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and were blocked from entering the New Line slum. Then, they went to the backside, where the Tamils were worshipping, and started pelting the stones that were stocked at the construction site aiming at the Muslim area. Following this stones were pelted from the other side as well.
Zulfiqar Ali, former councillor of Ward 19, and leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] lives in the New Line slum, opposite the main gate of the Ganges Jute Mill. Ali himself is a worker at the mill. He was busy in a meeting when the correspondent reached his house.
While the correspondent was waiting outside his house, a crowd of locals were trying to approach him to speak on the issue. However, the policemen patrolling the streets dispersed them swiftly.
When asked what the trouble was about, CPI(M) leader Ali said, “It was a students’ skirmish, but then everyone is making up stories. We think they are students. No one could become a Hindu-Muslim in the school. The students’ scuffle has become a Hindu-Muslim communal issue”.
“The role of the police is good, but the population here is large, there is potential for trouble in different places. A little more force should be deployed”, Ali added.
Nirupam Mandal, the officer in-charge of the regional police station, told the correspondent on Thursday afternoon that around 30 people have been arrested so far for participating in the skirmish, and the law and order situation in the area is now under control.
Did the skirmish over hijab flare the communal violence?
A meeting was held in the Ganges High School on July 22/23, when there was a problem with girls wearing hijab within the campus. Ali was present in this meeting. The CPI (M) leader said his proposal was accepted by all parties.
He said, “The administration and school authorities are not dealing properly. My point was, everyone can worship in their temples and mosques, but schools are equal for all. All parties accepted this proposal that even if the hijab is worn up to the school gate, school uniforms must be worn at school.
Like TMC leader Chatterjee, Ali also questioned the school administration’s role in the communal violence in Bansberia. Ali claimed that the school administration has not implemented the decision of the meeting.
Did the students tear the national flag?
“No student can kick or insult the national flag. These students go to school with the national flag patched on their chests. Give us proof that a Muslim student has torn the national flag and we will hand him over to the police. “
CPI (M) leader Ali did not accept the allegation that the minority students tore the national flag. He said, “Sukanta Majumdar told this from there. What is the evidence? No student can kick or insult the national flag. These students go to school with the national flag patched on their chests. Give us proof that a Muslim student has torn the national flag and we will hand him over to the police. Attempts are being made to gain political advantage by spreading lies. Children are being taught harmful things that will ruin their lives. It will damage the society too.”
Vishal Tiwari, a teacher of the Ganges High School claimed, “There was no trouble in the school. We have CCTV footage, I don’t know where the name of the school came from.”
Why did the communal violence happen?
“Those who could not be seen in Corona arrived during the riots.”
TMC leader Chatterjee said, “I was born and brought up here. After 2014 it (the situation) gradually reached this stage. I have insider information from the BJP that they are going to lose the Hooghly Lok Sabha seat this time. I guarantee Locket Chatterjee will lose by 200,000 to 300,000 votes if she contests from here again. When they have no issues at hand, they make a non-issue an issue and will come to show their faces. Those who could not be seen in Corona arrived during the riots. The BJP will have some relief if the sentiment of hatred penetrates even a little among the Bengali voters.”
“Some people are working here as spies of Pakistan.”
CPI(M) leader Ali said, “There was a scuffle among students, then seniors got involved, this was not the case earlier. These scuffles have been going on for the past few years. Earlier, all religious festivals were celebrated together, but now the celebration of any festival is becoming a real worry. Few people are causing trouble in both communities, but most of the people in both communities are suffering because of it”.
BJP leader Pal said, “People of a certain community have torn the national flag, and the whole community is being blamed for it. Today the honourable (Chief Minister Mamata Bandopadhyay) is appeasing this community, but not all people of the community are bad. Some people are working here as spies of Pakistan.”
When asked why would Pakistan send its spies to Bansberia, the BJP leader replied, “The purpose is to malign the name of Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) by instigating riots.”
So far, communal violence in West Bengal has mainly occurred among adults in poor non-Bengali areas. But even though the news of communal violence in Bansberia was suppressed by the mainstream media, the situation of communal hatred and mutual distrust among the minors is new but not an isolated incident. This is a very disturbing trend in the present scenario, where children are turned into cannon-fodders of communal politics. It remains to be seen whether there will be more incidents of communal violence and hatred in schools in the coming days.
