CAA bandh turns violent, 2 dead

Berhampore/Kolkata: A Muslim cleric and a teenager were shot dead while three others were injured after a gang of miscreants allegedly backed by the Trinamul Congress opened fire on them during a clash.

The incident occurred over a bandh called by an outfit against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Jalangi in Murshidabad on Wednesday morning.

The victims were identified as Anwarul Biswas (65), a Maulavi of at a local mosque and Salauddin Sheikh alias Maqbool (18), a mason. The incident has left chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s party in a tight spot as the Trinamul supremo has been spearheading a massive movement against the CAA and NRC across the state.

The outfit, Nobojagoron Nagarik Mancha, claiming itself to be apolitical, called the bandh at Sahebnagar in Jalangi demanding the withdrawal of the CAA and NRC. It also added the recent arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD student Sharjeel Imam by the Delhi Police, among the issues.

At around 7 am, the bandh supporters launched their protests blocking the road near Sahebnagar Market, a local Nurul Islam Sheikh said. A local teacher Abdul Jabbar was leading the agitation. Soon after three vehicles carrying Trinamul workers rushed to the spot.

Jabbar claimed that the agitation was peaceful.

The group, led by Trinamul Jalangi (North) block president Tahiruddin Mondal and a Trinamul-ruled gram panchayat head, allegedly attacked bandh supporters with sticks and rods to lift their road blockade forcibly. They even hurled bombs, torched a motorcycle and ransacked many houses.

Subsequently, bandh supporters retaliated leading to a clash between the two groups.

The group, which attacked the bandh supporters first, allegedly opened fire killing Anwarul at the spot. Salauddin, who was also shot at, succumbed to his injuries at Domkal Sub Division Hospital later.

Local TMC MP Abu Taher denied the party's involvement in the clash and alleged that the violence was by Congress and CPI(M) supporters. “I have requested the police to look into the incident. The culprits should be immediately arrested,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Manoj Chakraborty said that the party was not involved in the incident and demanded a judicial inquiry into it.