West Bengal: A youth belonging to BJP, along with him five associates wearing lungi and skullcap were detained by Murshidabad police on Wednesday after local people allegedly caught them throwing stones at a train engine.
Officers in Murshidabad said that residents of Radhamadhabtala village had caught and handed over the six youths after seeing them throwing stones at a Sealdah-bound trial engine traveling on the Sealdah-Lalgola line. They said the six included Abhishek Sarkar, 21, a local BJP worker.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday trickily without mentioning this incident, alleged that the BJP was buying skullcaps for its party-workers to wear while going on the rampage and shifting the blame on a particular community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday issued a statement, where he said, protesters against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act could be “identified by their clothes”.
When asked by the District Police Chief to explain why they were there? The youths claimed they had worn lungis and skullcaps for the sake of a video they were shooting for their YouTube channel. “But they could not prove the existence of any such channel,” district police chief Mukesh said.
Radhamadhabtala residents reiterated, Abhishek was at the center point of all BJP rallies. “We became suspicious when we saw the youths change their clothes near the railway line,” a villager said on Thursday. “We knew Abhishek as he is very vocal about his views. So we remained suspicious of them.
The six caught were being questioned at Behrampore police station on Thursday. Sources said a seventh member of the group fled after being accosted.
Local BJP sources even affirmed that Sarkar was a party worker of BJP. But BJP district president Gouri Sankar Ghosh said: “He is not a member of our party. We don’t know anything about the incident in Radhamadhabtala.”
In Calcutta, Mamata amidst a rally on Rani Rashmoni Avenue said, “On Friday, we have a protest meeting at Park Circus after the prayers. I request everybody to maintain peace.”
She reiterates not to fall into the BJP trap. “They are trying very hard to turn this into a fight between Hindus and Muslims when it’s anything but…. We have received intelligence that the BJP has been buying skullcaps for its workers. They are wearing them to get photographed and filmed while vandalizing public property to shift the blame to a ‘particular’ community.
“Youngsters should refrain from using social media. The BJP has been duping crores of its people to spread fake news and videos to incite violence and hatred.”
A Radhamadhabtala resident also said that Sealdah-Lalgola tracks passing through the village had been a site of massive tensions last weekend. “We ensured calm after much struggle this week, and cannot tolerate such negative intentions,” he added.
