‘Don’t need any demon’: Mamata Banerjee’s peace appeal amid Murshidabad, Bhangar violence
Amid the ongoing violence in the state over the Waqf Amendment Act, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday made a strong appeal for peace, saying that while citizens have every right to protest, no one should take the law into their own hands.
“Everybody has the democratic right to stage a peaceful protest with permission. I will request people not to take the law into their own hands. To protect the law, we have custodians and do not need any demon.”
Inaugurating a skywalk close to the famed Kali temple at Kalighat in south Kolkata, Banerjee also asked people to not indulge in non-religious activities in the name of religion and not to fall prey to provocation.
Banerjee’s remarks come in the wake of violent clashes in various parts of West Bengal, including Murshidabad’s Dhulian area, where three people were killed and several injured during clashes.
On Monday, supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) clashed with police in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas, torching police vehicles and injuring several.
Bengal is the land of peace, says Mamata Banerjee
Appealing for unity in the state marred by violence, Banerjee said, “Live in peace. The land of Bengal is the land of peace. Its soil is as pure as gold”.
She also hit back at critics who target her for attending events of various faiths. “Some people not only criticise me for visiting religious programmes, they even change my surname.”
After the skywalk inauguration, Banerjee walked to the Kalighat temple to offer prayers, accompanied by Mayor Firhad Hakim, sports minister Arup Biswas and others.
She also unveiled a hawkers’ corner and a renovated portion of the temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peeths.
The skywalk, which is 435 metres long and 10.5 metres wide, can be accessed from three roads.
“This is a congested area, and it was very difficult to build this skywalk. The state government has spent 99 per cent of the cost to renovate the temple. A small part at the tip of the temple is made of gold, and it has been given by Reliance,” she said.
The Kalighat temple in its present form is about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in literature of the 15th century, according to the website of the shrine.
