West Bengal Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi on Saturday visited violence-hit Asansol and Raniganj but during his four-and-a-half hour-long visit, he didn't meet a single Muslim family.
“He never asked to go” and “if he had, it would have been difficult to take him there”, Indian Express quoted a police official as saying.
After his visit, Tripathi held a crucial meeting with district officials of Paschim Bardhaman at the Asansol circuit house. During the meeting, he said, "I have come here with a message of peace and I appeal to all the people to be in harmony and respect each other. Everybody should respect each other’s religious festivals.”
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In the riots that broke out on March 26, a day after Ram Navami, two people were killed in Ranigunj and Asansol in West Burdwan district respectively, while many others were injured. According to agency reports, over a dozen houses were burnt and shops were ransacked.
Earlier on Wednesday, the state government had stalled the Governor's plans to visit the trouble-torn district. Declining the Raj Bhawan's request, the state administration had said that it was not advisable for the Governor to undertake the visit given the tense situation on the ground.
"I had planned to visit Asansol and Raniganj two days earlier but for certain reasons, it could not materialise," Tripathi added.
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This visit comes on the heels of the union home ministry seeking a report from the state government over law-and-order situation in Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also refused the center's offer to send para-military forces to the violence-hit area claiming that the state police was well equipped to control the situation.
Reacting to Tripathi's visit, Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Sunday said, "Every time a BJP delegation meets him, the Governor starts reacting to their pressure. People will obviously raise questions about his neutrality."
Meanwhile, a BJP fact-finding team sent by party president Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Asansol on Sunday (today), despite prohibitions in the place.
Earlier, today, the West Bengal government also announced that they are working on revamping their intelligence wing to help avert incidents of violence in the state.
According to data compiled by the Union Home Ministry, communal violence had sharply increased over the past three years in West Bengal.
While the state recorded 27 incidents of communal violence in 2015, the number almost doubled by 2017 when 58 incidents of violence were recorded.
Both West Bengal police and Kolkata police are also keeping a close watch on social media after communal clashes broke out last year in Basirhat area of North 24 Paraganas over an "objectionable" post on Facebook.
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(With Agency Inputs)
