Judicial commission on Basirhat clash to give recommendations

The judicial commission that the state government had set up to probe into causes that led to violence at Basirhat sub-division and its adjacent areas will also give its recommendations to avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future.

On July 8, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced in Nabanna that the Bengal government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence. Retired Justice Soumitra Pal is heading the commission.

It has been stated in the notification that: "The sequence of events and actions prima facie appears to be a planned conspiracy to create disharmony and breach of peace among the common populace…the consequent disturbances led to a law and order situation whereby there loss of life, arson, looting and extensive damage to public property…where as it is necessary to determine the existence of such conspiracy for

destabilising the administration and it confirmed, the intensions and identities of the conspirators and appropriate legal and administrative measures to be taken against them, with a particular view to prevent such conspiracy in future."

The Chief Minister had said that there was a "deep rooted conspiracy" that led to the violence at Basirhat sub-division and its adjoining areas. Raising question on the role of the Centre who controls the security in borders, she said: "How people had managed to cross the border to come and create violence and again return safely?"

The situation in the area had started turning worse following a post on a social networking site. The notifications further states: "On July 2 a post of social media led to disturbances in the police station areas of Baduria, Basirhat, Deganga, Swarupnagar and thereof led to a major breach of peace…this was followed by certain insertions on social mediate that were calculated to further incite disharmony and hatred within the local populace".

The Chief Minister had also critised certain posts on social media that were run as images of the clash in Basirhat-Baduria though they were not of the state. "…some photographs and video clips that were used on social media and mainstream media, purportedly depicting the law and order problem at Basirghat, were actually taken from other incidents in the past in neighbouring countries and others and also from films and other fictional creations," stated the notification.

Banerjee had said that relevant documents related to the incident will be handed over to the commission that has been constituted to "inquire into the matters" that will recommend the action that needs to be taken in this connection.