Is Shantipur turning into a fiefdom of radical Muslims?
On April 2, five Hindu youths inhabiting Jamadarpara placed in Shantipur Municipality and also within the Shantipur police station’s jurisdiction in the district of Nadia became victims of wanton cruelties of radical Muslim hooligans and they are still being warned of dire consequences. It has come to knowledge, the five Hindu youths namely Khudiram Kundu, Uday Biswas, Siddheswar Kundu, Joydeb Kundu and Mahadeb Tarafdar were busy in cultivating their own agricultural lands (of onions) while at 1.30 pm a dreaded gang comprising Hasan Sheikh (son of Kangali Sheikh), Abu Mandal and two others approached and also asked them to cede their lands to local Muslims. They also said that the same demand had been made earlier too and in case of any failure to this, Hindus would see the worst only. The threat was brushed aside by the youths. Islamists left the place for the time being.
The bunch of criminals returned after almost 30 minutes and at once, bombs were hurled on Hindus. They fired two rounds as well and left the place afterward while warning youths of dire consequences soon. The assault proved to be enough to panic local Hindus. Furthermore, the presence of Abu Mandal, alleged to murder a local resident named Jagadish Biswas in 2013, intensified the terror. Despite being a notorious criminal, according to locals, Abu Mandal is the local administration’s confidant and this bonhomie has saved him from detention as regards the murder. Even if Khudiram Kundu and his four daring friends have been visiting the agricultural lands regularly, their kinsmen decided to inform the local police station. They had hoped of assistance from the administration but its insensate acts have dejected them altogether. Albeit Islamists threatened Hindu youths and also attacked them with lethal weapons, police has termed the entire event as common and has registered a General Diary (GE – 70/14 dated 02.04.2014). Hardly any hope of Hindus is left on local police and administration.
Is this lackadaisical stance of police desirable? If locals are listened to, they disapprove this unanimously. But police enjoying political patronage gives a damn to these anguishes of Hindus. The nasty experience of teachers including Krishna Kanta Ray of Malancha High School, in this context, is worth mentioning. On February 14, Krishna Kanta Ray was targeted by Islamists in strength for allegedly insulting Islam and accordingly, all Hindu teachers of the school were beaten hollow. Local administration had a tough time to rescue all of them and now, scared stiff teachers are found to retain a silence of the incident. Again, desecration of local Hindu temples by radical Muslims has become common in Shantipur. On November 2, 2012, at 11.30 pm, a few unidentified Islamists defiled the Radha Krishna temple in the residence of Satish Sarkar living in village of Rajputpara within the same police station’s jurisdiction. Not only four holy deities in the temple were defiled, broken into pieces but their heads were also chopped off. The 700-year old Shyamchand Temple in Shantipur suffered the same fate almost but the interlocking system foiled Islamists’ attempts ultimately. Locals confirm that it was the fourth attempt of burglary (in a row) to despoil the hallowed Hindu place of worship. No one has been arrested in these cases yet, even if years have passed.
When will administration wake up to subdue these nefarious events? Will this tract known as religious bastion of Hindus in Bengal for centuries be equivalent to their mass crematorium? These questions reflecting Hindu anguishes prevail Shantipur now.