WB: Police prevent BJP's Parliamentary delegation from entering communal violence hit Dhulagarh

According to reports, BJP's Lok Sabha MP Jagdambika Pal, another party MP of Lok Sabha and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, party's National Secretary Rahul Sinha, West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh and several leader-activists of the national party tried to enter violence-hit areas in the afternoon.

Setting up barricades, a huge police force stopped the team, few kilometres away from the affected village.

To protest against the police action, BJP activists blocked NH-6 (Kolkata-Mumbai Highway) at Dhulagarh area and BJP leaders held sit-in-demonstration there.

BJP MP Satyapal Singh said, "If we are allowed in, people won't indulge in any violence and we can ensure peace there."

Earlier on Dec 12, people of two communities were engaged in a clash with each other at a village in West Bengal's Dhulagarh, barely 28 km from state capital Kolkata, over a religious procession to mark the birth anniversary of Holy Prophet.

During the clash, few crude bombs were allegedly hurled by one community, several houses, shops and a temple were reportedly vandalized, locals were looted and motorcycles, cycles and few homes were set on fire.

According to locals, several people were injured after being beaten up by the attackers.

The violence lasted for two more days at the area, which triggered tension at the village, locals alleged.

A heavy police force along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed in the area, CrPC section 144 was imposed and few police pickets were set up at the village to control the situation.

Police have booked at least 49 people so far from the area for allegedly creating violence, while all types of movements have been restricted there to maintain law and order, according to reports.

Leaders of BJP and Congress went to Dhulagarh to witness violence hit area's situation on Tuesday and Monday respectively and both teams were prevented by the police from entering the village.

Following the violence, SP of Howrah (Rural division), Sabyasachi Raman Mishra, was reportedly replaced by another IPS officer Sumit Kumar.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)