A six-member ‘fact-finding’ team of an NGO visiting the violence-hit areas of Hooghly in West Bengal was stopped by the police on Saturday, officials said.
The team, led by retired Patna High Court judge L Narasimha Reddy, was stopped near Konnagar and not allowed to go further to Serampore and Rishra, where a riot-like situation unfolded following Ram Navami festivities last week. According to the police, prohibitory orders were still imposed in the area.
"We cannot allow people to visit these areas as prohibitory orders are still in place," a police officer told PTI.
The team is also scheduled to visit Shibpur in Howrah district on Sunday and is seeking to meet state home secretary BP Gopalika over the incident that rocked these areas.
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Earlier on Thursday, senior BJP leader Locket Chatterjee was stopped from visiting her Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency to attend Hanuman Jayanti celebrations due to prohibitory orders in the area. Chatterjee sat on demonstration, alleging she was called an "outsider by the police" as they stopped her convoy.
"The police stopped me though I am the local MP. I was invited to attend the Hanuman Jayanti programme there. But the police are asking me to go back. Why is an elected representative stopped from visiting her constituency,” she asked. The BJP MP also started reading Hanuman Chalisa.
Violent clashes broke out between two groups when processions were taken out to celebrate Ram Navami last week. Subsequently, the Calcutta High Court ordered central police forces to be deployed in parts of Kolkata, Hooghly and Barrackpore. They were asked to assist the state police in maintaining the law and order situation to prevent a rerun of the violence in view of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.
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The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of adopting "double standards" while addressing incidents of violence during Ram Navami in various states.
At least 14 people had been killed in separate incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and clashes and arson in some parts of the country.
(With PTI inputs)
