Basirhat riot: Union Minister condemns WB CM for politicising violence; Mamta terms Centre non-cooperative

The tension continued to simmer in the Basirhat and Baduria regions of West Bengal. On Saturday, a BJP central team comprising party MPs Meenakshi Lekhi, Om Mathur and Satyapal Singh was stopped from visiting the riot-hit Basirhat in West Bengal and its members were detained.

The three MPs were detained after a heated exchange with the police near Birati. 

Lekhi asked the police if the situation was under control in Basirhat, as claimed by the state government, why were they not allowed to go there? “We are MPs and only we three will go there. You accompany us,” she told policemen. The police, however, refused to allow them. 

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee pleaded people to maintain peace and calm, "I appeal to Darjeeling to not resort to violence and instead make peace."

Banerjee also cracked down on the Centre for its unwelcome intervention in the state matters. "Centre has a non-cooperative attitude, border areas are being disturbed with foreign hands having good relations with BJP," she claimed in a press conference on Saturday in Kolkata. 

The chief minister has asked for a judicial inquiry into incidents at Baduria and Basirhat. 

Meanwhile, North 24 Parganas SP Bhaskar Mukherjee was removed from his post. C Sudhakar has been appointed in his place. Nine other IPS officers have also been transferred. 

Two army columns have been deployed, one each in Darjeeling and Sonada, where toy train railway station was set on fire.

#WATCH: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) Toy train station torched by a group of people in Sonada, #Darjeeling. pic.twitter.com/EkpGvdWC11

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 8, 2017

LIVE Updates

#6:50 PM: Union Min condemns WB CM for politicisng violence 

- I criticise West Bengal state government in most stern words: Union Minister Piyush Goyal

-I especially condemn WB Cm Mamta Banerjee for using the situation for her political benefit: Goyal

#6:00 PM: BJP demands Prez rule in state

The BJP met West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi and demanded that the Centre should immediately impose President’s rule as the law and order situation in the state has “completely broken down”.

“Today we met the governor and informed him about the grim situation in the state. The state government in collaboration with anti-national elements is directly responsible for the complete breakdown of the law and order situation. We have requested the governor to talk to the central government and send the recommendation for imposition of President’s rule in the state,” state BJP president Dilip Ghosh told reporters after the meeting.

#Judicial panel to probe riots (Read full story here) 

The West Bengal government has said it would set up a judicial panel to look into the “communal” clashes at Baduria and Basirhat in the North 24 Parganas district following a Facebook post. “We have decided to initiate a judicial probe into the Baduria and Basirhat riots. We want to see who were involved in them and the government will provide every input to the judicial commission. Let there be an impartial probe,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata. 

She added that the law would take its own course and strict action would be taken against those responsible for the clashes.

Banerjee also said her government would take action against “two national-level television channels” for showing “fake” videos and claiming them to be related to the clashes. “Video clips of an incident in Comilla, Bangladesh and a Bhojpuri film were being shown as if these incidents had taken place in Bengal,” she alleged.

#5:00 PM: West Bengal BJP submits memorandum to WB Governor demanding imposition of President's Rule

#4:30 PM: Reports requested by Central Govt to facilitate review in Darjeeling and Basirhat are being delayed by West Bengal Govt : MHA Sources

4:00 PM: MHA sources slam Mamata Banerjee for blaming Centre for incorporation: 

"4 BSF companies sent to Bashirhat 4 additional companies which were sent two days back were sent back by State Govt. Now she is saying companies not sent!"

"In so far as Darjeeling is concerned 11 companies deployed by Centre 1 ladies company they want us to withdraw! Their own East Bengal Rifles and Bengal Armed Police - several battalions are there. Why are they not deploying them instead of blaming Centre?"

#4:00 PM: Army called out in Darjeeling as violence spread after death of a youth allegedly in police firing: Army sources