Uneasy calm in Bengal's Rishra after fresh clashes
Kolkata (PTI): Uneasy calm prevailed in Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Tuesday morning after fresh clashes were reported in the town.
Most shops remained closed and few people were seen on the streets as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC remained clamped.
Route marches were conducted in the affected areas in Rishra and adjoining Serampore, a senior official of the Chandannagore Police Commissionerate said.
Internet services remained suspended as police urged people to maintain calm and not fall for rumours.
Train services along the Howrah-Bardhaman line resumed on Tuesday morning after being affected by incidents of fresh clashes near railway gate number 4 in Rishra on Monday night, he said.
Governor C V Ananda Bose expressed concern over the incidents of fresh violence in Rishra and is likely to cut short his Darjeeling trip, where he had gone for a G20 meeting, and return to Kolkata during the day.
He has spoken to the chief secretary and home secretary and took note of the current situation in Hooghly district, sources in the Raj Bhavan said.
Police said they dismantled a stage set up for a scheduled sit-in demonstration of state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar in Serampore, citing the prevailing law and order situation.
Clashes were first reported in Rishra on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised.
Incidents of clashes during Ram Navami processions in West Bengal were first reported in Howrah city on March 30.
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K'taka cops arrest X user ‘Bhiku Mhatre’ for controversial post on Siddaramaiah, Congress manifesto
Bengaluru: A social media user calling himself ‘Bhiku Mhatre’ and working on ‘X’ with the handle ‘@MumbaichaDon’ was arrested by the Karnataka Cyber Crime Police in Goa on Saturday for sharing an edited video clip of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and posting a message targeting Muslims on the social platform.
The police arrested Mhatre in Ponda, a city in South Goa, based on a complaint by J Saravanan, a Congress worker from Bengaluru on April 29, accusing Mhatre of posting an edited video clip of the CM speaking on reservation for minorities and making objectionable comments on the post with the clip. Saravanan has accused Mhatre of attempting to incite enmity and hatred among communities as well as tarnish the image of the Congress party. A case was registered against Mhatre under section 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code and section 66(c) of the Information Technology Act.
The social media user had posted on April 22, “Throw this in the face of Every Liberal & Every Piddi who was arguing that CONgress Manifesto doesn’t mention ‘Mu$£ims’ specifically & it includes SC/STs Also. CONgress WANTS TO TAKE AWAY WEALTH FROM HINDUS & DISTRIBUTE TO MU$£IMS ‘ONLY’ AS IT HATES HINDUS INCL. SC/STs.”
While the post on ‘X’ has been deleted, the user insisted that he had never posted anything that could be considered communal and alleged that the Congress was attempting to intimidate him for speaking the truth. Hours before his arrest in Ponda too, Mhatre shared a screenshot of an email from the legal team of ‘X’, indicating that the Magistrate of the Bengaluru Court had issued an order regarding his account.
The BJP, in support of the arrested, has slammed the Congress government in Karnataka, alleging that the arrest was an abuse of power. Leaders of the party assured that Mhatre would be provided legal support in the matter.
Amit Malviya, who is the head of the BJP IT Cell, posted on Saturday, “Karnataka Police has arrested @MumbaichaDon from Goa. We are in touch with his family and will ensure he gets all legal support. Congress has unleashed anarchy and is intolerant of dissent. But there won’t be another #Emergency in this country, ever.”
