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2013 Canning riots

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The2013 Canning riotswere anti Bengali Hindu riots in state ofWest Bengalon 21 February 2013.[1]The riots occurred in theCanning subdivision,after a Muslim cleric was stopped and killed by half dozen unidentified assailants near Nalekhali.[2]Following this incident, over 200[citation needed]homes burned down in the villages of Naliakhali,Herobhanga,Gopalpur and Goladogra villages in theCanningpolice station area.[1]Several shops were looted inJaynagar Majilpurpolice station area underBaruipur subdivision.Incidents of violence were reported fromCanning,Jaynagar,KultaliandBasantipolice station areas.[3]

Background[edit]

On 19 February 2013, shortly after midnight,Indian Standard Time,a MuslimImamfrom Ghutiari Sharif inCanning subdivisionwas returning from a religious congregation at Jamtala in Jaynagar, in a motorcycle along with a colleague. When they reached Naliakhali around 2 a.m., they were intercepted by a gang of waylayers, who robbed the cleric and shot him.[4]According to police sources the cleric was reportedly carrying₹1,150,000 in cash that was looted by the unidentified gunmen.[3]The altercation resulted in the death of the Imam, although his companion managed to flee after sustaining injuries. At dawn, the driver of the first bus from Golabari toCanningdiscovered the body and intimated theCanningpolice station. Several other bus drivers travelling on that route communicated their findings to the police station. The police initially took the incident casually and made no effort to visit Naliakhali.[5][6]Police has so far not been able to trace the culprits or even the motive behind the murder and with the murder of another Muslim cleric with large followers[2]in the same district emotionally charged the locals.[6]

Violence[edit]

Naliakhali is aHindumajority village in the Gopalpurpanchayatthat fell under the executive jurisdiction of theCanningpolice station.[7]

A crowd gathered at the site of the attack and rumors began to spread that the killers were from the village of Naliakhali.[5]Thousands of people from neighbouring areas, such asCanning,Jibantala, Sarengabad, Jhorormore, Narayanpur and Dhoaghata gathered on the site and refused to part with the body of cleric.[7]When the police tried to take away the body of the cleric for processing, the mob attacked the police withbrickbats.Anup Kumar Ghosh, thesub-inspectorof the police station atCanning,was injured andhad to[citation needed]be admitted to theCanningSub-divisional Hospital.[7]Seven policemen were injured in the attack.[8]The mob also attacked and damaged police vehicles.[8]

In the meantime, neighbors of the killed cleric were transported toCanningfromKolkatain trucks.[5]A local school principal reportedly incited the mob into violence. At around 10 a.m., a heavily armed mob of at least 10,000 began an attack upon Naliakhali.[4]Theyransackedand looted the homes ofBengali Hindusas the residents fled for their lives.[citation needed]The rioters hurled bombs, doused the houses with petrol and set them on fire.[5][6][9]Violence and arson spread to nearby locations such as Dhopar More and Bangalpara.[7]Hindu homes and places of business wereransackedin Gopalpur, Goladogra and Herobhanga.[6]The crowd blocked the road at Bhangankhali, Priyor More, Hospital More and Natunhat. Protesters also staged a rail blocked at Ghutiari Sharif station in the Sonarpur-Canning section of theSealdah South lines.[6][10]

At around 11 a.m., theSouth 24 ParganasDistrict Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar Tripathi, reached the spot along with a massiveriot squadand Rapid Action Force battalions.[5]They resorted to alathi chargein order topacifyand disperse the mob. The body of the Imam was then sent for anautopsy.[7]In the late afternoon reinforcements from theBidhannagar Police Commissionerateand theHowrah Police Commissioneratereached with water cannons to douse the flames of the burning village.[5]The police evoked Section-144 of theCode of Criminal Procedureand established acurfewin the area.[11]

Aftermath[edit]

In the violence, more than 200 houses were burnt in several villages that came under the jurisdictions of theCanning,Jaynagar,KultaliandBasantipolice stations, displacing more than 2,000 people.[12]Some of the displaced people took shelter in makeshift relief camps while others had to live on the road. The state government announced a compensation of₹300,000 to the family of the murdered cleric and₹10,000 to each of the 93 families displaced by the violence.[12]52 people were arrested by the police in connection with the violence.[4]Some NGOs have provided food and medicine to the affected region in Naliakhali.[4]

West Bengal Minister of State for Minority Affairs andTrinamool CongressMLA.from Magrahat West constituencyGiasuddin Mollaaccused theCommunist Party of India (Marxist)andIndian National Congressof fomenting trouble in the state before the panchayat elections.[3]The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed for peace and promised a special investigation into the murder case.[6]Political observers have linked the violence to the forthcomingpanchayatelections in the region, where theTrinamool Congressand theCommunist Party of India (Marxist)are trying to woo Muslim voters in the district.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abSreekumar (21 February 2013)."Riots in West Bengal | South 24 Parganas District 200 Homes Torched | Shops Ransacked".oneindia.Retrieved23 May2021.
  2. ^abAli, Arshad (20 February 2013)."Muslim cleric shot dead in Canning".The Indian Express.Retrieved21 February2013.
  3. ^abcHT Correspondent (21 February 2013)."Maulana murder: clashes erupt in S 24-Pgs, 46 held".Hindustan Times.Archived fromthe originalon 24 February 2013.Retrieved22 February2013.
  4. ^abcdBanerjie, Monideepa (22 February 2013)."200 houses burnt in Bengal village by mob protesting cleric's death".NDTV.Retrieved24 February2013.
  5. ^abcdefCaesar Mandal (20 February 2013)."Violence after villager murder".The Times of India.Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2013.Retrieved24 February2013.
  6. ^abcdefDinda, Archisman (23 February 2013)."Communal violence returns to haunt Bengal".Gulf News.Dubai.Retrieved24 February2013.
  7. ^abcdeSaha, Prasenjeet (20 February 2013)."100 houses gutted in protest against murder".The Bengal Post.Kolkata. Archived fromthe originalon 13 August 2018.Retrieved24 February2013.
  8. ^ab"গুলিতে মৃত্যু, ক্যানিংয়ে তুলকালাম".Anandabazar Patrika(in Bengali). Kolkata. 20 February 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 24 March 2013.Retrieved24 February2013.
  9. ^ab"West Bengal: 200 homes torched, shops ransacked in riots".Oneindia News.21 February 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2013.Retrieved22 February2013.
  10. ^"Communal flare-up in WB".UdupiNet.21 February 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.Retrieved24 February2013.
  11. ^"Priest shot dead at Canning".The Statesman.Kolkata. 19 February 2013.Retrieved24 February2013.
  12. ^ab"South 24 Parganas tense, calm".Hindustan Times.Kolkata. 22 February 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2013.Retrieved24 February2013.
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