Howrah: Abhishek shares video of man brandishing pistol
Kolkata: A day after trouble broke out involving two groups in Howrah over a Ram Navami procession, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday, launched a scathing attack on the BJP for “spoiling” the atmosphere in the state and creating “enmity” among the people.
Abhishek also claimed that those who organised the procession had no prior police permission. He accused the BJP-led Central government and some of its leaders in the state for ‘hatching a conspiracy’ to trigger tension on Ram Navami.
While addressing a press conference, Abhishek said: “For the past few days, there have been attempts to disrupt the peace and harmony in Bengal. We have appealed to everyone to maintain peace and order. Despite that, a political party, for nurturing its politics, despite having no police permission, vehemently took out the procession on a route where issues happened last year as well.
“People were carrying guns and swords in the Ram Navami procession. Shops and materials of small vendors were vandalised and torched. What form of a procession is this? They were insanely playing DJ. Is it the way Ram Navami is celebrated? Which ritual is this? We have lived in Bengal for so long, but we have never seen anything like this. I might be lying, but these videos won’t lie,” he told the media.
“Why is it that such chaos breaks out only during Ram Navami? Ram symbolises devotion, courage, and power. We call him as ‘Prabhu Ram’. Why would someone pay respect to Ram by destroying peace and keeping guns in their pockets and playing DJ in localities in the name of Ram Navami?” he said.
Abhishek also showed several videos in which certain people with ‘saffron’ flags, chanting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans, were purportedly seen torching and ransacking properties. He shared a video where a man can be seen brandishing a gun during the procession. Tweeting the video, he blamed BJP for ‘creating communal tension deliberately to reap political benefits’.
“BJP’s DANGABAJI FORMULA at work again. Provoke & instigate communities against each other. Supply weapons to incite violence. Create communal tension deliberately. Reap political benefits.. A classic unholy blueprint right out of the BJP playbook”, tweeted Abhishek.
On Friday, he published a white paper saying that the organisers did not have police permission, challenging the latter to publish a white paper supporting their claim of having prior police permission. “There was no reply with the Howrah Police Commissionerate regarding details of the permission copy, the exact number of participants and exact beginning and end point of the rally. They did not submit any document but started taking out a procession on the route which was not permitted”.
He alleged that the incidents of violence were “pre-planned” in nature.
“This was pre-planned. From Shyambazar, a BJP leader was saying to keep an eye on TV tomorrow. Why? Just a day before, that leader met Union Home minister and came to Shyambazar,” he said. “I ask everyone to take note of the chronology. First, they meet the Union Home minister, then they come back to Bengal, hold a public meeting in Shyambazar, and then they tell people to keep an eye on the television. The very next day, riots break out. Who is responsible for this?”
On March 29, BJP leaders in Shyambazar said everyone should keep their eyes on their television screens the next day. This was two days after they met Union Home minister Amit Shah in Delhi, he added further.
He also stated that a criminal has no religion. The ones arrested by police do not have any religion or community. He assured that all the culprits who carried out hooliganism will be arrested.
