Murshidabad, 20 January (H.S.): After two days of continuous unrest, the situation is gradually returning to normal in Beldanga area of Murshidabad district. No new incidents of violence have been reported in the area since Sunday. Shops, markets, and other business establishments started reopening on Monday, and local people are once again visible on the streets. The same picture of normal life was seen in Beldanga on Tuesday as well.
However, police forces remain deployed at various intersections in Rejinagar and Beldanga to prevent any untoward incidents. The crackdown against those involved in the violence is also continuing. On Monday night, Murshidabad district police's cybercrime branch and the district police conducted a joint operation and arrested five more accused.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Noor Alam, Rabiyul Islam, Noor Alam Molla, Ladim Sheikh, and Tufail Sheikh. According to police sources, all the accused were identified based on CCTV footage and videos available on Facebook. Investigating officers said that two of the accused were apprehended for live-streaming violent incidents on a Facebook page, while the remaining three were identified through videos shared on their personal Facebook profiles.
The district police's cybercrime branch currently has more than 1,600 video clips in its possession. These include Facebook Live streams, videos shared on private social media accounts, and footage from various news outlets. All of these are being examined to identify those involved in the violence.
In this regard, Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Kumar Sunny Raj said,
“This operation and identification process will continue. We are also seriously investigating whether there was any kind of planned instigation or conspiracy in the area.”
So far, 32 people have been arrested in connection with the incidents of violence. In addition, four accused had already been apprehended in connection with the attack on journalists. A total of 36 arrests have been made in connection with the Beldanga violence case.
The district's Additional Superintendent of Police, Majid Iqbal, clearly stated that no one involved in the unrest in Beldanga will be spared. He said, Everyone will be identified, and strict legal action will be taken against them.
The general public is feeling relieved as peace has returned to the area. Local teacher Anshuman Biswas said,
The situation is now completely normal. The police are continuing their patrols, and the Superintendent of Police himself is monitoring the situation.
The administration has appealed to the public not to pay attention to any rumors and to cooperate in maintaining peace.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
