The central forces patular in violence affected the district of Dhulian or Murshidabad. | Photo credit: Debash Bhaduri
Latika Mondal, 35, a resident of Dhulian in the Murshidabad district of Western Bengal, does not know when he will return home. “We no longer know what is left of our house,” said Latika, who stays at the Parlalpur Secondary School in Deonapur in the Malda district. On Saturday, April 12, Latika, her husband and her three children fled from her house and arrived at the camp about 50 km from Dhulian.
“We all stayed on the terrace when violence was developed. We vandalize any house, including ours. That instituted a morbid fear in us. We know that the situation will only get worse, our house was saved this time later. Behind all our belongings and a boat to this camp,” Ms. Ms. Latika said
Around 400 people have refuge tasks in the camp after violence on the WAQF (amendment) law broke out in the areas of Dhulian and Samserganj or in the Murshidabad district. On Monday several civil groups arrived by distributing dry clothes and food to people who had tasks that took refuge there.
Dhulian residents took refuge in a school in the Malda district. | Photo credit: Debash Bhaduri
Among those who visited the camp on Monday were the president of the Bharatiya Janata party, Sukanta Majumdar, who alleged that people have become homesas for the “fundamentalist forces” that were passed through protesters. “The initial families of 200-250 had refuge tasks here. Now, due to the police pressure to close the camp and cover the failure of Mamata Banerjee, only 70-75 families remain. They still live in fear,” said the president of the BJP.
The Western Bengal Police said that people who have tasks take refuge in the camps throughout the river have begun to return after the situation has improved. Additional general director (law and order) Jade Shamim said 17 people have returned to their homes. Shamim said no important incident was reported in the last 36 hours.
About 50 kilometers south of the camps in Dhulian, the roads remained deserted and all the stores were closed. The signs of violence were evident in the streets and stores, since the border security force and the rapid force of action remained deployed.
The rubble of broken glass and other remains of violence that took place on Friday and Saturday. Senior classification officials of the West Bengal Police through public advertisements asked the premises to return to normal and resume their businesses. But the locals expressed absences about opening their stores and leaving their homes, saying that they cannot sleep at night for fear of another violent attack. Dhulian’s locals also demanded the permanent deployment or BSF staff in the area and the resumption of Internet services. There was another heated fight between two communities in the Jaffrabad area of Dhulian, where on Friday a father and son duo were pirate on Friday.
“I have been executing a fried food store for decades in this place. They destroyed everything, they took what was left. In cash, chairs, bank, table, gas cylinder, they took everything. I lost things worth ₹ 30,000. The shutter was reduced when the violence developed, but the perpetrators broke locks and vandalized everything,” Savithhos, 45 Dhulian’s Ghoshara, said Ghoshpara. Mrs. Ghosh has not eliminated the remains of the shattered store.
“We call the police several times, the police station is just a few meters away, but nobody came. Now, how do we eat?
Published – April 14, 2025 10:01 PM IST
