Fresh unrest in Murshidabad as highway, rail tracks blocked again over migrant worker assault
KOLKATA, Jan 17: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday alleged that the opposition BJP, in connivance with former party leader Humayun Kabir, might have hatched a conspiracy to foment violence at Beldanga in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, and appealed to residents to maintain peace and harmony.
The TMC national general secretary was addressing a rally after a roadshow in Baharampur, the district headquarters town.
Referring to the violence, Banerjee said he was advised by a number of people not to go ahead with the programme, but decided to proceed.
“When I heard about Beldanga violence, many within my party and others advised me against holding the roadshow and meeting today. But we went ahead, as the incident was incited by the BJP and a gaddar (traitor). My not holding a meeting today would have given oxygen to such elements,” he said.
Banerjee said the traitor had already been expelled and would be exposed publicly in the coming days.
Naming Kabir, Banerjee said, “Those who divide people should be shown the door. Those who do politics in the name of Babri Masjid will be defeated. Humayun Kabir’s true self will be exposed soon..
Urging people not to fall prey to provocation, he said the administration had been asked to take action against those involved in arson and attacks, including the assault on a woman television reporter.
Banerjee said he had taken up the issue of the unnatural death of a Bengali-speaking migrant worker from Murshidabad in Jharkhand with the chief minister’s office there and asserted that the TMC had always stood by migrants facing harassment outside the state.
He said Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan and the local MLA would visit the family of the migrant worker whose body was found hanging in his room, an incident that triggered violence and protests in Beldanga.
“The state government has already announced Rs 2 lakh as monetary compensation to the family of the deceased and a government job for his wife,” he said.
Launching a sharp attack on former Baharampur Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury, Banerjee described him as a “BJP dummy candidate” and accused him of remaining silent on issues such as alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants and deletion of voters’ names during the SIR exercise.
“In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, we asked people to defeat the BJP agent, and he suffered a crushing defeat. In the 2026 Assembly elections, TMC will win all 22 seats in Murshidabad district,” Banerjee claimed.
He also accused the Election Commission of turning a blind eye to alleged harassment of people during the SIR process.
FRESH VIOLENCE
Fresh unrest gripped West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Saturday as protesters again blocked National Highway-12 and railway tracks at Beldanga, a day after violent agitations over the death of a migrant worker had snapped road and rail links between the state’s northern and southern parts for hours, police said.
Hundreds of locals gathered on the highway at Barua More in Beldanga, bringing traffic on NH-12 to a standstill and triggering long queues of stranded vehicles, while protesters also damaged a railway gate and attempted to disrupt train services, they said.
Police baton-charged the agitators at a few places to disperse the crowd, locals alleged.
The latest flashpoint was an allegation that another migrant worker – Anisur Sheikh- from the area was brutally assaulted in Bihar, reigniting public anger that had barely subsided after Friday’s violence.
Police deployed a large contingent at the protest site, while local MLA Humayun Kabir reached the spot and held talks with demonstrators and officials to defuse the situation.
Officials said efforts were underway to restore normalcy and prevent the agitation from spiralling into fresh violence.
Tension has been simmering in Beldanga since Friday following the death of 36-year-old Alauddin Sheikh, a resident of the Sujapur Kumarpur gram panchayat area, whose body was recovered from his rented accommodation in Jharkhand, where he worked as a scrap dealer.
Family members alleged that he was beaten to death and later hung to make it appear like a suicide, triggering widespread outrage after his body was brought home.
Saturday’s agitation comes on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend government programmes and address a public rally.
On Friday, protesters blocked the Sealdah-Lalgola railway line at Maheshpur and set tyres ablaze on NH-12, snapping road and rail connectivity for nearly five-and-a-half hours. Several trains were halted, and hundreds of buses and trucks were stranded. Clashes broke out as sections of the mob vandalised a traffic kiosk and damaged a police vehicle. Brickbatting left at least 12 people injured, including journalists.
WOMAN SCRIBE ASSAULTED
A woman scribe was allegedly assaulted, while another sustained serious injuries and was admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital.
Despite assurances from the administration and appeals for calm from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, tension resurfaced on Saturday following allegations that a migrant worker from Maheshpur in Beldanga was beaten up in Bihar’s Ghazipur district.
According to locals, the injured worker, identified as Anisur Sheikh, managed to return to Murshidabad late on Friday night in a critical condition and was admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital.
Protesters demanded immediate arrest and concrete assurance for the safety of migrant workers from the district.
“Adequate forces have been deployed, and constant dialogue is being maintained with local representatives,” a senior police officer said.
On Saturday, protesters again attempted to block rail movement at Beldanga station, damaging a railway gate.
The renewed agitation came even as the district administration had announced measures to address migrant workers’ concerns. Murshidabad District Magistrate Nitin Singhania on Friday said a dedicated control room would be set up to monitor the situation of migrant workers from the district. (PTI)
