Clashes in West Bengal's Hooghly during Ram Navami rally, BJP MLA injured
Rishra (WB), Apr 2: Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Sunday evening, following which prohibitory orders were imposed and the internet was suspended, police said.
Two Ram Navami processions were organised in the Rishra police station area, and the second one was attacked near Wellington Jute Mill More at GT Road around 6.15 pm, they said.
A few police personnel were injured in the violence, they added.
BJP vice-president Dilip Ghosh, who was in the procession that was attacked, told PTI that people were walking peacefully to the Jagannath temple in Mahesh when stones were hurled at it.
Pursurah BJP MLA Biman Ghosh was injured in the violence, he said.
A senior officer of the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate said, "Medinipur MP Dilip Ghosh and Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present in the procession that was attacked. It was going through the traditional route when a group started throwing stones at it. We took immediate steps to address the situation."
Arrests are yet to be made in connection with the violence, she said.
Quick action was taken by the police and the situation is now under control, she said.
A heavy police deployment has been made in the area to prevent any further flare-up, the officer said.
"Police are doing route march, and prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 have been imposed in Rishra wards 1-5 and Serampore's ward 24. Internet services will remain suspended in parts of Rishra and Serampore till 10 pm on Monday," she said.
Governor CV Ananda Bose, who is at present in Darjeeling, said those behind the violence will be "booked tonight itself and put behind bars".
"The miscreants, the hooligans, and the thugs will be crushed with an iron hand. They will be made to curse the day they were born. Mobocracy cannot derail democracy. We are determined, the state is determined to put an end to this arson and looting," he said.
"The lawbreakers and their abettors will soon realise they are playing with fire. Reinforcement of forces has already rushed to the spot. The culprits will be booked tonight itself and put behind bars we are determined," he added.
Bose said this kind of hooliganism, which thwarts the democratic processes, will be "coffined".
BJP's Ghosh said there were many women and children in the procession that was attacked.
"Suddenly, stones were hurled at us from one side of the road. Several policemen were also injured in the stone-pelting even though I and some other leaders were rescued and taken out of the area through adjacent lanes," he said.
"Police managed to chase away the trouble-makers after being silent spectators for a while," he alleged.
Condemning the violence, state Industry Minister Shashi Panja alleged the BJP was indulging in the destruction of peace and tranquility of the state.
"BJP is known for vandalism of public property, and triggering communal riots all over the country," she alleged.
Panja said the rally, which was attacked, was being led by Dilip Ghosh, "who is known for his provocative statements".
The state government will firmly deal with the situation and take necessary action to punish the perpetrators, she said.
TMC spokesperson Joyprakash Majumdar questioned what was the need to organise the procession two days after Ram Navami.
"Why are they so bent on taking out Ram Navami processions during the holy month of Ramzan? Why was the Ram Navami rally taken out two days later? The BJP wants to engineer riots in Bengal to create instability for political gains," he told PTI.
The BJP was trying to foment trouble by taking religious processions to certain sensitive pockets, he alleged, claiming that it was creating such a situation to demand President's rule in the state.
Majumdar also claimed that those in the rally were carrying weapons such as swords, which created panic among the people.
Violence during Ram Navami celebrations rocked parts of neighbouring Howrah district on Thursday and Friday. Over 45 people were arrested, prohibitory orders were imposed and the internet was suspended to bring the situation under control.
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Court can reject anticipatory bail but cannot direct accused to surrender: SC
New Delhi (PTI): A court can reject anticipatory bail of an accused but it has no jurisdiction to direct him to surrender before the trial court, the Supreme Court has said.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation while hearing a plea filed by a man accused of cheating and forgery.
"If the court wants to reject the anticipatory bail, it may do so, but the court has no jurisdiction to say that the petitioner should now surrender," the bench said.
The Jharkhand High Court had rejected anticipatory bail plea of the accused and asked him to surrender and seek regular bail.
In this case, a complaint had been filed before a magistrate alleging offences under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document) and 120B read with 34 of the IPC, in connection with a land dispute.
The high court had dismissed the second anticipatory bail application of the accused on the ground that no new circumstances were shown.
It had relied on its earlier order rejecting his first anticipatory bail plea, in which the court directed the petitioner to surrender before the trial court and seek regular bail in terms of the decision in Satender Kumar Antil v. CBI.
The top court said such a direction was wholly without jurisdiction and said that if a court chooses to reject anticipatory bail, it may do so, but it cannot compel the accused to surrender.
