Recently, violence broke out in parts of West Bengal over Ram Navami processions. Several vehicles were set on fire in Howrah district. , Photo Credit: Debashish Bhaduri
At least 65 cases on communal violence were registered in different parts of West Bengal in just 18 months between January 2021 and June 2022. While 30 cases were registered in 2021, 35 cases were registered in the first six months of 2022.
The data was collected through Right to Information (RTI) queries filed by RTI activist Biswanath Goswami in several police commissionerates and police districts across the state. Only 12 police commissionerates and police districts provided data on cases related to communal violence and riots.
Howrah rural police district registered 28 cases (13 in 2021 and 15 till June 2022), the highest number of cases on communal violence in a span of 18 months. The Krishnanagar police in West Bengal’s Nadia district registered 13 cases, while the Asansol Durgapur police commissionerate stood third with 10.
Mr Goswami, a socio-legal researcher, had also sought details on cases related to communal riots in these police commissionerates and districts. The responses showed that 200 cases of rioting had been reported in the 18-month period. While 2021 saw 129 such cases, the first six months of 2022 saw 71.
Howrah rural police topped the list as well, registering 70 cases, followed by their Howrah city counterparts who registered 59 cases.
The activist also revealed that at least eight people will die in 2021 in communal violence, while 11 people will lose their lives by the end of June 2022.
“The figures are interesting in light of Recent incidents during Ram Navami procession Shibpur in Howrah district and Rishra in Hooghly district. A large number of communal flare-ups take place in the media,” lamented the RTI activist.
Mr Goswami further explained, “Some of the RTI replies I received provided month-wise break-up and saw the highest number of communal cases between March and May and October to November.”
According to the activist, no information was received from several police districts, including Murshidabad and Birbhum, while the Malda police gave “contradictory answers”.
“While RTI queries revealed several incidents of communal violence, it was surprising that the National Crime Records Bureau [NCRB] In the report of the year 2021, only one such incident was mentioned in the entire state. This is a classic example of data suppression and manipulation by the state,” Mr Goswami said.
Political observer Biswanath Chakraborty said the high incidence of communal violence is a reflection of the “competitive communal politics” of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. “After the Trinamool tried its brand of ‘appeasement’ with honorariums to minority communities, the BJP and its allies have found the soil of West Bengal fertile for Hindutva politics. We have seen riots in Asansol, Basirhat, Dhulagarh, Malda and now regular communal flare-ups on Ram Navami,” said Professor Chakraborty, who teaches political science at Rabindra Bharati University.