New Delhi: Against the backdrop of last week’s communal violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district in which three people were killed, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, is set to hold a ‘Save Bengali Hindus’ rally in Kolkata on Saturday.
The rally will begin from the ancestral residence of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and culminate at the house of Dr Syama Prasad Mookherjee in Bhawanipur.
The BJP has described the event as a symbolic march highlighting what it calls the deteriorating situation of Bengali Hindus in the state.
The Calcutta High Court granted permission for the rally on Thursday, following a petition by the organisers.
This development comes amid heightened political tension in the state following the April 11 violence in Murshidabad’s Dhulian area.
The unrest erupted during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to several others. The incident triggered a political storm, with both the state and central leadership trading accusations.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose visited the affected areas in Murshidabad on Friday to personally assess the situation.
On the other hand West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a compensation package of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and assured housing support under the Banglar Bari scheme for those who lost their homes. She also instructed the Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report on the damage and relief measures.
“We don’t differentiate based on religion; our concern is the pain and loss suffered by every citizen,” Banerjee stated in response to criticism.
However, BJP leaders have accused the state administration of suppressing facts.
Union Minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar alleged a “state-sponsored cover-up,” claiming Hindu families targeted during the violence had to flee to Malda for safety.
He further alleged that local authorities were pressuring victims to vacate relief camps to block their interaction with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) representatives.
“This is not just administrative failure, it’s a complete collapse of constitutional protections,” Majumdar wrote on social media platform X.
(IANS)
