Hindus in West Bengal are now under attack from Muslim fundamentalists, who are mostly Bangladeshi infiltrators, with an active support from the ruling CPM. The communists in the state are desperate to woo Muslims after their humiliating defeat in the recent Panchayat and civic body elections. The communists believe that the state government'sagricultural land grab policy for industry has alienated rural Muslims from the party and is responsible for poll debacles. The party and its government are now liberally distributing favours to Muslims in the state such as setting up of Muslim religious university, named Alia University, in Kolkata'sMuslim populated area Park Circus. The Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has offered government financial assistance only to Muslim students seeking higher education. Mamata Banerjee'sTrinamul Congress is not lagging behind in Muslim appeasements. She has announced that village Panchayats and Panchyat Samities won by her party in South 24 Parganas district will be run by local Muslims only.
Emboldened by the appeasement policy of the ruling party as well as the main Opposition party in the state, a section of Muslim fundamentalist outfits is gearing up for unprecedented attacks on Hindus in South Bengal districts. The first major attack was reported in Gangasagar, the holy confluence of the river Ganga and Bay of Bengal on June 12 this year. About 200 Hindu pilgrims were assembled there for a holy dip at the confluence and listened to discourses on Hindu religious texts by leaders of Hindu Samhati Manch. The peaceful Hindu assembly was attacked by a frenzied 3000-strong Muslim mob led by a local CPM leader Sheikh Ismail. Like infamous Godhra train burning incident in Gujarat, the heavily armed Muslim goons set fire to bamboo pavilion erected for the pilgrims assembled in the evening to listen to religious discourses. The goons also set fire to Vishwa Hindu Parishad'sguest house where some pilgrims had taken shelter. The VHP guest house was badly damaged due to fire and ransacking. Strangely, the police remained onlookers during the murderous attack on Hindu pilgrims and later arrested only the leaders of Hindu Samhati Manch and a few injured pilgrims. It is really a shame for Bengal'smedia that suppressed the incident to appease the ruling CPM and its Muslim stooges. It was only the Bengali weekly Swastika that came out with detail reports and pictures. The West Bengal unit of VHP had also organised demonstration in protest. It may not be known to many outside West Bengal that the sacred Gangasagar Island is now dominated by Muslim majority population migrated from Bangladesh illegally thanks to the CPM'spolicy of Muslim appeasement only to get their votes.
The second major attack on Hindus was reported on July 8 when Swami Punyalokananda, a monk of Ramakrishna Order and president of Ramakrishna Ashram at Gorehat under Joynagar police station in South 24 Parganas was stripped and beaten up by CPM goons. Revered Swamiji is a Hindu social reformer who was initiated in sannyas by Swami Gambhirananda Maharaj, the 11th president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Belur, Howrah. Swami Punnyalokananda is devoted for the upliftment of the poor and underprivileged people at Gorehat since he has taken over as the head of the Ashram. Swamiji was trying hard to start a free coaching centre for the primary school boys and homeopathic dispensary in the Ashram campus. But Mohammed Abdur Ali, a local CPM leader and his associates have planned to set up a country liquor shop in the Ashram campus capturing the Ashram room for coaching students and the dispensary just by flexing their muscle power.
The local Muslim goons, led by the CPM leader Abdur Ali, attacked Swamiji with iron rods and lathis and tied him with a tree before stripping him off his saffron robes and beat him mercilessly till he became senseless. This ghastly scene was witnessed by hundreds of local people as the attack was made by the Muslim goons in the morning. But none came forward to save Swamiji fearing reprisal from the local Muslim goons sheltered by the CPM bosses. The police came to the spot only after the Muslim fanatics had satisfied themselves by blood-shed of a peaceful Hindu monk. Strangely, again, the police did not arrest a single culprit so far except registering a general diary (No. 168/08) about the attack on Swamiji at the Joynagar police station. Swamiji had many injuries in his body including scull. Some devotees of Swamiji took him to Kolkata'sSSKM government hospital for C.T Scan of brain and necessary treatment. Swamiji is now out of danger. Swamiji had earlier met the District Magistrate and the District Superintendent of Police apprehending murderous attacks on him and on the Ashram and requested them in writing for protection. But they did not take steps to protect the Hindu monk mainly due to fearing backlash of the Muslim fundamentalist groups and red eyes of the ruling communists.
The two successive barbaric incidents and complete police inaction led to a panic among peace-loving Hindus all over West Bengal. The incidents have clearly showed that the CPM has adopted a tactic of torture against Hindus only to win the hearts of the Muslims to regain their support in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections slated for early next year.
(A Kolkata VSK report)
