West Bengal: CPI-M's Mohammed Salim stopped from entering Basirhat, BJP's fact-finding team due to arrive

Kolkata: CPI (M) MP Mohammed Salim, who is leading a Left delegation to review situation in West Bengal's violence-hit Bashirhat over an objectionable Facebook post, was stopped by the authorities from entering the town.

According to ANI, the CPI-M MP was stopped 50-kms away from Basirhat, where there is a heavy deployment of security forces to prevent any untoward development.

As normalcy is returning to violence-hit areas of West Bengal, a delegation of opposition parties is due to visit the most turbulent area state to take stock of the current situation there.

Members of opposition parties including Congress, CPM and the BJP will be part of the delegation visiting the state today.

Fresh violence was reported in Bashirhat on Thursday after a man, injured in the clashes, succumbed to his injuries.

The Centre had earlier sent about 400 paramilitary forces to the state to control the violence.

Amid the BJP's worsening ties with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, party chief Amit Shah had yesterday formed a three-member delegation of MPs to look into incidents of communal violence in the eastern state.

The delegation, headed by senior party leader Om Mathur, and comprising New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi and Baghpat MP Satyapal Singh, will visit violence hit areas of West Bengal to take stock of the ground situation. 

The delegation will submit its report to Shah.

The members will coordinate with BJP General Secretary and in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya and state BJP Chief Dilip Ghosh, an official statement of the party said.

The visit comes in the wake of communal clashes in Basirhat sub-division of North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday night over an objectionable Facebook post. 

Several shops were vandalised, police vehicles torched and roads were blocked by mobs as violence erupted. 

Ghosh has demanded imposition of President's rule in the state and to send central observers to assess the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state.

The Chief Minister has accused the BJP of misusing social media to spread rumours leading to communal riots.