HC moved for Central forces deployment in Beldanga

Kolkata: Two public interest litigations (PILs) were filed on Monday before the Calcutta High Court seeking deployment of central forces in Beldanga, Murshidabad, following days of unrest in the area.

One of the PILs has been filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the second petition was moved by a resident of Beldanga.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen permitted the filing of the PILs. The matters are likely to be taken up for hearing on Tuesday. Violence had erupted in Beldanga on Friday after the death of 36-year-old Alauddin Sheikh, a migrant worker from the area who was killed in Jharkhand. Following the incident, tension gripped the locality, although the situation briefly returned to normal. Fresh unrest was reported on Saturday when locals blocked the highway at Barua More, triggering renewed concern among the administration.

Police action intensified over the weekend, with around 30 people arrested in connection with the violence. Among those taken into custody was a 45-year-old cleric, Matiur Rehman.

A local court remanded Rehman and nine others to 10 days of police custody. Twenty other accused were sent to judicial custody for 10 days, while one person was released after being diagnosed with psychological disabilities.

Despite no fresh incidents being reported, the area remained tense on Monday. Rapid Action Force battalions continued flag marches across sensitive zones as police maintained a close vigil to prevent any further flare-up.