Scuffle between two communities on Thursday night.
A clash between members of BJP’s youth wing and members of another community took place last night at Kidderpore in the south-western fringe of the city, one of the Muslim-dominated pockets of Kolkata.
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Some of them alleged that while they were saying namaz at Ismail Masjid in the evening, BJP activists chanted slogans of ‘Jay Shree Ram’ and ‘Masjid Todenge, Mandir Banayenge’ (we will break the masjid and build a temple). “A day earlier, they had taken out a huge procession on the occasion of Ram Navami. Participants of the procession, armed with swords had passed this place three or four times and shouted slogans of Ram in front of the masjid. Last night there were about 50 of them on bikes celebrating BJP’s Foundation Day. When they chanted slogans of breaking masjid, area locals got angry and chased them away,” said Md Irfan Ahmed, a shop owner at one of the popular markets in the vicinity.
People here, however, said that that they had been asking everyone not to fall for the provocation. “Areas like Kidderpore and Metiaburz are commercial hubs for Muslims and if there is a trouble at these places we suffer losses in the tune of lakhs everyday. If market is shut there is a direct loss and if there is a communal tension non-Muslim customers would refrain from coming here. In both cases we are at the losing end,” said Md Rafique, member of the Ismail Masjid Committee. He also said that there was a particular group which intended to create trouble at these places so that Muslims were economically destroyed.
Others too, said that the trouble was nipped in the bud. “There had been no communal trouble here ever and we don’t want to spark one. We live and carry do business peacefully and intend to keep it that way. Even the Imam during his Friday sermon today before the afternoon prayer said that we, especially the youth, should not be provocked into starting a communal riot,” said Amir Hossain a 35-year-old area local.
Fire tender kept in the vicinity (Arshad Ali)
Police, too said that there were too many rumours of a communal clash. “We had heard of rumours doing the rounds on Whatsapp groups and other social media about ‘huge communal tension which started in Kidderpore and spread to many parts of the city’. We had later tweeted and sent out messages pleading people not to pay heed to those rumours and to report rumour mongers by dialling 100,” said a senior official at Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters. Friday’s namaz was said amidst a heavy police posting and a fire tender was also kept at stand by to deal with any untoward incident.
BJP national president Rahul Sinha told DNA that he had heard about the trouble at Kidderpore last night but brushed aside the allegation that supporters chanted slogans of breaking masjid. “I heard that when members of the Yuva Morcha of BJP were passing the area some of the local residents hurled abuses at them and a scuffle followed but it was soon brought under control,” Sinha said.
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