DNA Exclusive: Is Violence In West Bengal On Ram Navami State-Sponsored?

The violence in West Bengal's Howrah during the Ram Navami procession on Thursday and the vandalisation of temples and homes on Friday has led to a war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition BJP. While the BJP claimed that the appeasement politics of the ruling party is behind the incident, the TMC alleged that it was a conspiracy of the saffron party to polarise the society for political gain. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has moved a PIL in the Calcutta High Court seeking an NIA probe into the incident. Adhikari said the chief minister must step down for her failure to control the violence and "apologise to Hindus for the attacks on their properties."

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee alleged in a press conference that the procession was taken out without police permission as part of a long-term attempt of the saffron camp to disrupt peace and harmony. He also claimed that intelligence feedback suggested that the violence at Kazirapa was a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by the BJP which wants to divide people on the basis of religion for political gains.

In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan has analysed the growing incidences of attacks on religious procession and categorisation of areas with terms like 'Muslim Area' and 'Hindu Area' in a secular nation like India. 

Rohit wondered whether the Bengal violence is state-sponsored because police were present during the attacks but did nothing to control the violent mob. Rohit also reminded viewers that the mob violence occurred a day after Mamata Banerjee's statement where she was heard warning Hindus.

रामनवमी पर बंगाल में State Sponsored हिंसा? | देखिए #DNA LIVE @irohitr के साथ

जयपुर ब्लास्ट के आरोपी बचे नहीं..बचाए गए हैं ?
क्रिकेट में अवैध सट्टे पर 'वेरिफाइड' खुलासा#ZeeLive #WestBengal #RamNavami #JaipurBlast https://t.co/FCRKCloKrA — Zee News (@ZeeNews) March 31, 2023

Violence broke out on Thursday evening between two groups when a Ram Navami procession was taken out at Kazipra in Howrah. Several vehicles, including some belonging to the police, were torched and shops and auto-rickshaws were ransacked. In fresh unrest, policemen deployed at Kazipara were pelted with stones on Friday afternoon.