TMC legislators conducted Peace March at Bhatpara

Kolkata, 28 June (HS): Within 24 hours of a similar March taken out  by a section of city based intellectuals demanding restoration of peace and communal harmony in the strife torn Bhatpara Industrial belt in North 24 Parganas district yesterday,  the ruling Trinamool Congress took out a similar Peace march in the same locality this afternoon urging the people to remain calm.

Today’s  Peace march led by a seven member team of senior leaders and legislators of TMC  including state Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee,City Mayor Firhad Hakim,Food and Civil Supply minister Jyotipriyo Malick,Fire Brigade minister Sujit Bose,Parliamentary Affairs minister Tapas Roy and Technical Education minister Brtaya Basu and accompanied by several thousand party workers toured the entire area of the industrial town which witnessed large scale violence for more than a week and assured the people of enough steps taken by the state government to restore peace and tranquility in the area.

The rally which began near Bhatpara’s  Ghoshpara area where the first violence broke out,met the owner of the shop whose establishment was set on fire by a raging mob forcing the police to open fire in which two youth were allegedly killed.

‘We have met a large cross section of people during the peace march and came to know about their views on how to bring back normalcy’, said Mukherjee adding that they would soon submit a detailed report about their experience to Chief minister Mamata Banerjee for further action.

Meanwhile, Tapas Ray who squarely blamed Barrackpore MP and local BJP  leader Arjun Singh for the cycle of violence in and around Bhatpara this month, also demanded his arrest. ‘He is the mastermind of all troubles in this peace loving industrial belt’, Ray said and reiterated his demand for Singh’s immediate arrest.

Unlike during yesterdays Peace March by the intellectuals, over 1500 armed police personnel were today deployed in  the entire Bhatpara and the adjacent Kankinara and Jagaddal areas as a preventive step to stop recurrence of any violence. Apart from the entire route of the today’s Peace March,all streets and lanes in vulnerable areas were covered with security forces.

Chief of Police of the Barrackpore Commissionarate Manoj Verma who has been conducting route marches in the entire Bhatpara area every day for more a week with strong forces, expressed his confidence to restore peace in the locality and confidence among the residents.He also accompanied the TMC ministers and leaders in today’s rally.

About the presence of huge cache of arms and ammunition in the strife torn areas and the entry of criminals from outside,as claimed by the Chief minister, City Mayor Hakim said the police had been instructed to recover all arms and arrest criminals without looking into their colours.

‘So far more than 100 people were arrested for fomenting trouble and many more would soon be taken into custody’, he said.

To another query Hakim, like Ray, also demanded the arrest of Arjun Singh and blamed him for the brain behind  of all violence in Bhatpara and its neighbourhood.

About the government plan for ex gratia payment to the families of those killed and injured in recent violence there,the City Mayor said the government had already decided to grant an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakhs to each of the deceased and a government job to one of the family members of every seriously injured.