Malda violence: Is West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee a communal tinder box or a victim of false propaganda?

The rampage in Malda, one of the most communally sensitive districts in West Bengal, was a hotly discussed topic on social media all through last week. It perhaps also forced the mainstream media to pace up coverage and finally coaxed CM Mamata Banerjee to give a hurried non-explanation, that it was not a communal incident and was the result of an altercation between locals and the BSF.

The report from the ground though suggests that a mob (numbers ranging between 10k to 1 lakh) protesting alleged blasphemous statements made by Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari got out of hand, resulting in a police station in Kaliachak being torched and two people suffering serious injuries. The news was much followed on Twitter and the media was accused of holding silence. As of now, the Home Ministry has asked for a report from the state about the violence in Malda. From Mamata Banerjee’s 'all is well' jargon to rants about Hindus under threat in West Bengal on Twitter, the reactions are extreme. On Monday, a BJP team was stopped from entering Kaliachak. This has led to fresh round of political mudslinging in the case. The political temperature is only likely to soar with state elections due in three months. So what exactly is the current situation in the state?

The fact is that the state bordering Bangladesh has had a long history of people of different religions leaving peacefully. It has around 27% Muslim population, according to the latest census data. The social fabric has by and large been retained. A predominant reason being the cultural chauvinism of Bengalis, which often becomes their primary identity over that of religion. However, it is unmistakable that the faultlines have slowly been exposed over the years. A major reason behind this is the bizarre aloofness of successive state governments to crack down on illegal immigration. Also, the soft minority appeasement policy to garner votes of the community enmasse was championed by the Left and is now been perfected by the TMC.

Hence, even after the Burdwan blast which unearthed a dangerous plan hatched from Bengal to topple the Bangladesh government, not many steps have been taken to crack down on all the extremist forces. The fringe voices have undoubtedly grown with the police and ruling party showing a blind eye. The regional press on its part has taken the strategy of playing down any event of transgression and disruption, a move primarily to prevent any domino effects in this sensitive state. The coverage of Malda riots too predictably remained extremely muted in the local press, with the story being relegated to the back pages and primarily being reported as a law and order problem.

The same was done during communal tensions in Deganga a few years back, and even a couple of years back when Kolkata was paralysed while protestors gheraoed the American Centre to agitate against the controversial film Innocence of Muslims. This strategy of playing down coverage needs a revaluation, if not outright rejection, as it is making the media sitting ducks to being called ‘sickular’ and pandering to a certain religion. Didi on her part needs to show more intent and leadership to shut down the fringe, the likes of Siddiqullah Chowdhury and Twaha Siddique rather than being defensive in front of them. The fact that a TMC MP is allegedly the founder member of SIMI probably doesn't help in improving the optics. 

Now, comes the second half of the problem, about which you will hardly see chatter on social media - the aggressive agenda pursued by the Hindu right in Bengal, which till now remains a virgin domain for them. Bengal has never really warmed up to the concept of Hindu nationalism, despite Shyamaprasad Mukherjee having his roots here. Heck, it even gave the Modi wave a miss, although BJP increased its share by 10%. The absence of any state-based tall leader means BJP will continue to be an extremely minor force in the state in the foreseeable future.

However, this has not stopped the RSS to pull out all the stops to make a strong foundation in the state. A Reuters report in October talks about how the number of shakhas have doubled. It quotes Ramapada Pal, RSS chief preacher of the state saying, everyone must acknowledge the “superiority of Hindu Kingdom”. Rahul Sinha, the then BJP chief was quoted saying, “New mosques and madrasas have been set up in every corner”. Recruitment has particularly picked up in the sensitive districts close to the borders. A hardliner RSS activist Dilip Ghosh with not much political exposure has been appointed as BJP chief of the state.

Clearly, West Bengal is a RSS project, yet the results on the ground so far has been less than impressive for them. However, a trend has also emerged in the last few months from Bengal, of isolated incidents getting social media mileage and becoming massive even if they often do not pass the journalistic muster of truthfulness on close scrutiny. From the Kolkata riots, the Belur Mutt blast, the banning of Durga Puja in Birbhum, the national anthem singing row in Madrasa to the Tuktuki case, either they have proved to be false or grossly exaggerated.

People living in hundreds and thousands of kilometres from Bengal have tried to whip up hysteria and paranoia, aided by foot soldiers. The answer to the question of who gains from an unstable and communally strife Bengal provides clues to the second part of the Bengal puzzle. Between the "sickulars" and "bhakts", what Bengal yearns for today is proper governance and a truly neutral police force who can crack down on violators without seeing their political affiliation, religious identity or social stature.

Bengal has for long been infamous for a hostile political climate and associated crimes. Now it is slowly spilling over to religion, an inevitability with a co-opt political regime. The bhadrolok is no longer a ground reality, more of a social meme. Beyond the calm veneer, lies an uneasy soul frustrated by the dimming fortunes of the state desperately in search of jobs and big industries. Flare-ups like Malda are only symptoms of a deeper malaise. Politicians better be aware before playing with fire.