Kolkata, Apr 18 (UNI) Rejecting the plea of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to postpone his visit to Murshidabad, Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday morning set off for the trouble-torn district by train.
According to sources at the Raj Bhavan, the Governor is scheduled to spend the night at the circuit house in Malda on Friday and on Saturday, he will visit the affected areas in Murshidabad including Samsherganj and Dhuiliyan from there.
On Thursday evening, Banerjee, during a press conference, had urged Bose to postpone his visit to riot-hit Murshidabad, saying that the situation in the district was gradually returning to normal and the administration was actively working to restore public confidence.
“I will request no one – apart from the locals- should go to Murshidabad now. Peace is slowly returning and, in this situation, we should help the administration so that they continue with their confidence building process,” the Chief Minister said.
“I will appeal to the honourable governor to wait for a few more days. Our women’s commission also wanted to go but I stopped them. I am also not going. I shall go when the time comes,” she said.
At the same time, the Chief Minister said that she would visit Murshidabad only after the situation becomes normal there.
Meanwhile, the Governor, who was initially scheduled to leave for Murshidabad on Thursday night, postponed his trip after state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar along with a group of people displaced by the recent riots in Murshidabad visited Raj Bhavan, where they shared their harrowing experiences with the governor.
The affected individuals appealed to the Governor for permanent deployment of central forces to ensure their safety, along with demands for employment opportunities and financial compensation.
“A delegation of displaced and aggrieved women from Murshidabad, called on HG (honourable governor) ths afternoon and narrated their plight. HG has assured them that appropriate steps are being taken to ensure the situation returns to normalcy,” a Raj Bhawan release said.
However, ADG (Law & Order), South Bengal Range, Supratim Sarkar, informed the media on Thursday evening that a review would be conducted to assess whether there had been any intelligence lapses in detecting early signs of unrest in various pockets of Murshidabad.
He further said that a total of 60 FIRs have been filed in connection with the violence, and the number of arrests has risen to 274. The police, he added, are also prioritising the rehabilitation of those displaced by the violence, and have so far facilitated the return of 75 individuals to their homes.
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