Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari moves Calcutta HC seeking permission to visit violence-hit Maheshtala

"Calcutta High Court Chief Justice has asked to file a plea in the court. I am moving the plea. Section 163 has been placed in the violence-hit area. So two persons including me can be allowed," said Adhikari speaking to the reporters.

"This administration has the habit of first denying permission and then allowing after causing a delay," he added.

Earlier, Adhikari had approached the SP of Diamond Harbour Police District and DGP of West Bengal Police seeking permission to visit Maheshtala.

The violence occurred near the Rabindranagar Police Station in the Budge Budge area of South 24 Parganas.

Opposition BJP leaders said the clashes broke out after a person was stopped from setting up a shop near a local Hindu temple.

This episode allegedly led to the vandalisation of the Shiva temple, triggering outrage among residents.

The situation almost went out of control after noon. Several bikes were set on fire, and police vehicles were vandalized.

A female cop was injured in the violence after being hit by a brick.

The entire area looked like a battlefield, which left the police with no choice but to resort to lathicharge and tear gas shelling to bring the situation under control.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF) team was also deployed to restore peace in the area.

Three FIRs were lodged and 28 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.

Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar blamed the state government for the incident and slammed its “Muslim appeasement" politics.

In a post on X, Majumdar accused the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of ignoring repeated attacks on Bengali Hindus in Muslim-majority areas of the state.

Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari said, "This is what happens when you feed a rabid dog, it bites you back one day. These Jidasists know that they have succeeded in putting shackles on the Mamata Banerjee Govt, the Govt can't act against them, as they are the 'impactful' Vote Bank."

He also urged Governor CV Ananda Bose to assess the situation, stating that this "happened all because of the deliberate 'negligence' and involvement of IC Rabindranagar PS; Mukul Mia."

"He is a close associate of the TMC Jihadis and attends and helps organize all their events and even attends those events with the TMC badge pinned on his uniform. He must be taken into custody and questioned properly," Adhikari said.

The TMC has declined to call the incident a "communal clash" and claimed it was a "localised dispute over a shop".

TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said, "The Maheshtala incident was a localised dispute over a shop, not some Hindu-Muslim conspiracy you’re salivating to peddle.

"The State Administration acted with lightning speed with senior officers like the ADG (South Bengal) and Joint CP (Crime) on the ground. Thanks to their swift action, escalation was stopped dead in its tracks. But you wouldn’t know competence if it slapped you across your lying face."