NIA apprehends 16 Islamists in West Bengal Ram Navami violence
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended sixteen individuals in connection with the Ram Navami violence that occurred in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on March 30, 2023 last year. The arrests come as a result of meticulous investigations, with revelations from the probe and identification of the accused through video footage of the communal attacks during a religious procession.
The incident, which unfolded during a procession commemorating Ram Navami, witnessed violent clashes that targeted Hindus who were taking part in the Ram Navami celebrations. The NIA, entrusted with the investigation, has been diligently pursuing leads to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The arrests mark a crucial development in the case, shedding light on the conspiracy and execution of communal attacks during the religious celebration. The identification of the accused through seized video footage has played a pivotal role in the investigative process, allowing law enforcement agencies to establish the involvement of the arrested individuals in the violence.
Among those who arrested are Afroj Alam, Ashraf, Imtiaz Alam, Irfan Alam, Kaiser, Farid Alam, Furkan Alam, Mohammad Pappu, Suleman, Sarjan, Nurul Hoda, Wasim Arya, Salahuddin, Jannath, Wasim Akram and Tanweer Alam. All of them are residents of Dalkhola.
Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of Opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party, expressed his satisfaction after the arrest of the 16 Islamists by the NIA. Taking to X, Adhikari said, “I had filed a Public Interest Litigation at the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court in March 2023 seeking NIA probe.”Hon’ble Calcutta High Court allowed NIA probe thereafter. The State Govt even approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court in order to prevent NIA investigation; however, however Hon’ble Supreme Court didn’t impose any restrictions on the NIA Investigation. This National Investigation Agency Press Release confirms that 16 people have been arrested in connection with the Ram Navami Procession Violence in Dalkhola; Uttar Dinajpur District.”
Tensions flared in Howrah last year as violent clashes erupted between two groups during Ram Navami celebrations, resulting in the torching of several vehicles and widespread vandalism of public and private properties. The confrontations, which marred the religious procession, saw rioters engaging in acts of arson while targeting vehicles and infrastructure.
In response to the unrest, the West Bengal government took swift action by handing over the investigation to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on March 31. A specialised team, led by Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury, has been tasked with probing the root causes of the violence and identifying the perpetrators.
This incident comes on the heels of clashes that erupted during the BJP’s Shobha Yatra (procession) in Hooghly last week. In response to the escalating tensions, the state government imposed prohibitory orders and suspended internet services across the district to maintain law and order.
Post the violence, a fact finding committee was set up to look into the violence. The committee’s report implicates state police as the real perpetrators of large-scale communal violence. The committee mentioned that the roles of Amit P Javalgir, IPS, CP Chandannagar & Praveen Tripathi, IPS, and SP Howrah were lacking in the control of violence and riot. Not allowing the committee to visit riot-affected Rishra showed the complicity of these senior police personnel in appeasing communal elements and creating violence of unprecedented scale. The committee report elaborately described how state police thoroughly tracked the vehicles of the committee members and planned precisely to stop them at various points. IPSs were in action to stop the fact-finding team.
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