NIA to file report on ‘breach of peace’ in Murshidabad

Kolkata: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was directed to file a report regarding breach of peace in Murshidabad wherein violence took place between religious communities. The Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad and CID has submitted a report on the same.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed at the instance of Vishva Hindu Parishad Dakshinbanga to draw the Court’s attention to certain incidents that took place within Murshidabad on and from April 12 till April 17. In the application, it was claimed that on April 12, temples of Hindu deities were destroyed by the members of different religious communities at Kamnagar village under Beldanga Police Station.

The senior standing counsel representing the state had submitted that not only temples but several mosques have also been destroyed during the mentioned period. Incidents of stone pelting were reported on the occasion of Ram Navami procession. It was submitted that grenades and non-lethal ammunitions were used by the police but no incident of bombs being hurled by the rival parties took place.

The petitioners had prayed for investigation by the NIA. The court had directed the District Magistrate to ensure that no casualties took place on Hanuman Jayanti where a large number of devotees offered Puja.

“The maintenance of law and order is the exclusive domain of the state unless fails for the reasons so disclosed and, therefore, all requisite and appropriate steps are required to be undertaken in the near future to avoid any recurrence of such unfortunate incidents having cascading effect on the elixir of the Constitution by importing the word “secular” to its preamble,” the Bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya observed.