The injured, Shamsher Naqab (22), has been admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital
Berhampore/Kolkata: Jangipur in West Bengal's Murshidabad district remains on the boil over the agitation against the Waqf Amendment Act for the third consecutive day as another youth suffered bullet injuries while a BSF vehicle was vandalised during a fresh round of violence late on Saturday night.
The injured, Shamsher Naqab (22), has been admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. His elder brother, Kaiful Naqab, accused the BSF of shooting Shamsher in the waist. Shamsher was rescued from the rooftop of his neighbour's house, where he was lying injured.
The youth received the gunshot when the BSF allegedly opened fire after facing an attack by angry protesters at Hijoltala in Dhulian. The furious mob pelted stones and hurled bricks and bombs at the BSF troopers patrolling the area. They also ransacked a BSF vehicle.
Later, the BSF (South Bengal Frontier) I-G Karni Singh Sekhawat visited the spot. He said, “No vandalism will be tolerated. We are here to assist the state police.”
State DGP Rajeev Kumar, who has been camping in the troubled areas, claimed on Sunday, "The situation is under control." SP Jangipur Ananda Roy said that 168 people have been arrested so far.
During the day, angry villagers were seen rushing to a high-level police team patrolling in Dhulian and complaining against Farakka Trinamul Congress MLA Monirul Islam's elder brother Kausar Ali for vandalising their houses and shops with 200 armed associates.
The two brothers, however, denied their role in the incident. They claimed that their house was also attacked by the miscreants, who also tried to set it on fire. The duo then fled to another house nearby but got no help from the police. Mr Islam later complained to the state DGP of no police action. Even Bharatpur TMC MLA Humayun Kabir levelled the same allegations against the state police.
At Zafarabad village in Dhulian, where Haragobinda Das and his son Chandan were murdered by the rioters late on Friday night, the locals expressed their lack of faith in the police. They alleged that around 200 armed attackers attacked in a group, but the cops arrived four hours after the killings and vandalism.
In another development, more than 600 villagers, mostly Hindu women from ward number 20 and 21 under Dhulian municipality, fled to neighbouring Baishnabnagar in Malda to save their lives after their houses were vandalised in violent attacks by protesters in the last few days.
They crossed the Ganga river in country boats on Saturday night and took shelter at Parlalpur High School. Malda sub-divisional officer Pankaj Tamang said, "The homeless villagers from Dhulian have been accommodated at our temporary relief centre. They will live here until further orders. We provided them with dry foods, drinking water and clothes."
Meanwhile, Malda South Congress MP Isha Khan Chowdhury met the state DGP and demanded an all-party meet to restore peace in the troubled areas. He also wished to meet the affected but was denied permission.
