Noakhali riots redux: Hindu-Muslim riots break out in Kolkata’s Mominpur on Kojagari Lakshmi Puja; police absent

New Delhi: Communal tension erupted in West Bengal’s Kolkata on Sunday night as two communities clashed resulting in the ransacking of Ekbalpur police station in the Mominpur area of the city. According to reports, clash erupted after a religious flag was allegedly torn by some miscreants during Eid Milad-Un-Nabi festival. Following tensions between the two communities, a group of people surrounded Ekbalpore police station in protest against the violence. As many as 20 people have been detained for causing a ruckus in the area apart from four arrests made on Sunday night, police said. Reacting to the development, BJP leader Amit Malviya said that on Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, the heinous Noakhali riots also took place and now this was happening in Kolkata. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. On Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, the heinous Noakhali riots also happened, and now this is happening in Kolkata… Under Mamata Banerjee as Home Minister, Kolkata has become completely unsafe, communal riots have become common,” he tweeted along with the video of the violence. Watch: Violence erupts in Mominpur

Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. On Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, the heinous Noakhali riots also happened, and now this is happening in Kolkata…
Under Mamata Banerjee as Home Minister, Kolkata has become completely unsafe, communal riots have become common… pic.twitter.com/hFPBi29o87

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 9, 2022

The Noakhali riots were a series of semi-organised massacres, rapes and abductions, combined with looting and arson of Hindu properties, perpetrated by the Muslim community in the districts of Noakhali in the Chittagong Division of Bengal (now in Bangladesh) in October–November 1946, a year before India’s independence from British rule. The massacre of the Hindu population started on 10 October, on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja and continued unabated for about a week. It is estimated that 5,000 were killed, hundreds of Hindu women were raped and thousands of Hindu men and women were forcibly converted to Islam. Slamming the state government, Malviya alleged that the Kolkata police abandoned the Ekbalpore police station on the orders of Mamata Banerjee. “On Sharad Purnima, when Bengali Hindus celebrate Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Mominpura, a suburb of Kolkata, is witnessing communal violence. Kolkata police abandoned the Ekbalpore police station, perhaps on the orders of Home Minister Mamata Banerjee, while Islamists were on rampage,” Malviya said in another tweeted. Watch: Another violence video here

On Sharad Purnima, when Bengali Hindus celebrate Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Mominpura, a suburb of Kolkata, is witnessing communal violence. Kolkata police abandoned the Ekbalpore police station, perhaps on the orders of Home Minister Mamata Banerjee, while Islamists were on rampage. pic.twitter.com/hdNCd5wpLg

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 9, 2022

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Meanwhile, West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Governor La Ganesan over Mominpur violence and ransacking of Ekbalpur police station on Sunday and requested “urgent deployment of Central forces to contain law and order situation” in the state. “I have written to Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji & Hon’ble Governor Shri La Ganesan Ji requesting them to urgently deploy Central Forces in the wake of Mominpur violence & ransacking of Ekbalpur Police Station before the Law & Order situation of WB gets out of hand,” the BJP leader tweeted.

I have written to Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji & Hon'ble Governor Shri La Ganesan Ji requesting them to urgently deploy Central Forces in the wake of Mominpur violence & ransacking of Ekbalpur Police Station before the Law & Order situation of WB gets out of hand pic.twitter.com/yr3lB1MaJB

— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) October 9, 2022

In a two-page letter, Adhikari  said that he has been compelled to write the letter as the gravity of the situation has prompted this urgency. “The Hindu community has come under attack in the Khidirpore Mominpur area of Kolkata on the eve of Lakshmi Puja. Many shops and bikes belonging to Hindus have been vandalised by hooligans and anti socials. The onslaught has similarities to the Panchla violence which happened in June in the Uluberia area of the Howrah district. At that time the violence spread across West Bengal, especially in the Nadia & Murshidabad districts,” the letter reads. He said that the state government has already meekly surrendered in front of the wrath of goons who have taken over Ekbalpur Police Station. “I apprehended that as the West Bengal Government is reluctant to act against the perpetrators this time as well, as because they belong to a certain community, this time too this may flare up and start to spread across the state resulting in loss of lives and property; both Public & Private,” he wrote. He requested the Centre to intervene and sought the deployment of Central forces such as Central Armed Police Forces before the situation goes out of control. “So, I urge you to kindly intervene at this hour and deploy Central forces such as the CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces), so that the spark can be extinguished before it turns into a wildfire. The State Government seems to be unable to control the Law & Order, also they lack the appetite to do so as it affects their electoral prospects negatively,” his letter further reads. “Kindly act on the situation as soon as possible so that the peace loving Hindu community is protected, especially those who live in locations where they are in minority as per the demography of the area,” it added. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.