Dateline Dhulagarh

It may be a while before the truth about Dhulagarh is unravelled as no responsible government would dare to rock the communal apple-cart. Suffice it to register that the allegations of appeasement –since the late 1970s to be sure –and the kind of vandalism that was witnessed in this part of Howrah district recently call for more serious reflection than has been in evidence thus far.

The incident has been somewhat overshadowed in the season of merriment and the currency crisis –a quirky conjunction if ever there was one. Aside from the transfer of the SP (rural), the response of the administration doesn’t quite match the enormity of the mayhem across the river.

Beyond the stray arrest of suspects, the prime culprits –on both sides of the fence –are yet to be identified, let alone arrested. It is direly imperative for both sides to hold their fire, and the caveat must of necessity be applicable across the religious divide.

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Besides the Great Calcutta Killing in August 1946 and to a far, far lesser scale the riots in Calcutta in the wake of the theft at Hazratbal mosque in Srinagar (January 1964), Bengal has mercifully been spared a major communal conflagration. It would be no exagerration to submit that Dhulagarh (December 2016) showcases a blot on the tradition of tolerance, secularism, and above all the values of a civilized society in the greater scheme of things. Of course, there can be no comparision with Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar.

Nonetheless, the values have been trashed on Kolkata’s waterfront. Indeed, Dhulagarh bears witness to ignoble strife. The worst that can happen is a retaliatory backlash; to forestall a reprisal ought now to be accorded the uppermost priority. The seizure of 100 kg of explosives is chilling enough.

The genesis of the trouble is eerily similar –the route of a procession that was organised by one community. Considering the inherent vulnerability of the area, it devolved on the district administration to chart the course of the procession, indeed ensure that the minimum precaution was in place so as not to offend sensitivities.

No less intriguing is the revelation by this newspaper that the attackers had a free hand to destroy and loot… without a semblance of police presence for four hours (10 am to 2 pm). It shall not be easy for the administration to dispel the dominant impression that the terror was perpetrated in connivance with the police.

Verily has law and order reached its nadir in Howrah, where policing has theoretically been strengthened with a Commissionerate.

Verily once more has a place –not too far from Nabanna –witnessed the retreat of the law-enforcement authorities. Cutting across divides, the sense of fear and the source of tension must be overwhelming.

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