KOLKATA: Caught off guard by the violence during anti-waqf Act protests in Murshidabad – a TMC stronghold – and facing criticism on social media, party MPs and MLAs from the area blamed ‘outsiders’ and’police’ for the bloodshed.
Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahaman alleged that the attackers were mainly outsiders. “They might have come from neighbouring Malda and Nadia districts, via land or water routes. We conducted a route march with MLAs to appeal for harmony,” Rahaman said.
Farakka MLA Manirul Islam, whose brother’s house was attacked by a mob on Saturday, supported the “outsider” theory.
“Such things have never happened in this area. This could not have been possible without the role of outsiders. There might be some insiders involved, but the perpetrators came from outside,” said Islam.
However, TMC Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir chose to blame police. “This is not acceptable in our country. Every citizen, irrespective of their religious beliefs, has the right to live in peace. The attacks are condemnable and are against the spirit of Islam,” Kabir said.
Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, who has often been tasked by CM Mamata Banerjee to forge unity within the party ranks in Murshidabad, said, “As of now, the situation is normal. Both Hindus and Muslims were harmed. We have trust in our police. A criminal is a criminal, it does not matter if they are from TMC or BJP. Police are there to control the criminals.”