Kolkata: After two days of unrest, Beldanga in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district remained tense on Sunday. Although there were no reports of fresh violence, train services on the Sealdah-Lalgola section have not resumed yet.
As a result, daily commuters and traders are facing hardship. Buses are running as the blockade on the National Highway 12 was lifted. However, there is a heavy police presence on the roads to prevent any untoward incident
Eastern Railway officials said that the trains that usually run daily on the Sealdah-Lalgola section are still not operating. Currently, trains are only running up to Krishnanagar, after which they are being diverted.
Officials may discuss on Sunday whether train services can be resumed between Krishnanagar and Plassey. To ensure that no further unpleasant incidents occur, the railway has deployed extra RPF personnel at various stations.
In the absence of the train service, many people are opting for buses as an alternative to trains, leading to increased congestion on the roads.
It may he noted that a large number of people travel daily on the Lalgola train to Kolkata via Sealdah. Many traders supply vegetables and cottage cheese from Murshidabad district, and they have been the most affected by the disruption.
It is still unclear when services will return to normal. Shops in Beldanga market reopened on Sunday morning, but the police are keeping a close watch on the movements of outsiders in the area. CCTV footage from the area is also being reviewed.
On Saturday night, Murshidabad Police District Superintendent (SP) Sunny Raj held a press conference and announced that Matiur Rahman, the ‘mastermind’ behind the unrest in Beldanga, has been arrested. Four people have also been arrested in connection with the attack on the media personnel.
However, the SP claimed that Saturday’s unrest was deliberate and pre-planned. He stated that the police had to resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the protesters for this reason. The Rapid Action Force remains prepared to prevent any further unrest in Beldanga on Sunday as well.
On Saturday morning, Beldanga was once again gripped by unrest, a day after a similar protest broke out in the same area. Hundreds of people blocked the Barua More intersection in Beldanga, protesting against the alleged killing of a migrant worker from the district in Jharkhand.
National Highway 12 was blocked with protesters demanding justice for the incident. Several media persons were attacked while covering the incident. Police later resorted to a lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.
(IANS)
