Pakur (Jharkhand) [India], April 15 (ANI): Several families affected by the violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district have migrated to Jharkhand’s Pakur, located near the border between the two states.
Rinku Shah, a victim of Murshidabad violence, told ANI that “Muslims” in his village “attacked, looted and vandalised property for four hours” until the BSF arrived and rescued them.
“The Muslims from our village attacked us… They broke into the house, looted everything, broke things, and took all the money. When we called the police, they said our complaint was registered, and help was on the way. The attack continued for four hours. Then the BSF arrived, and rescued us,” he said.
Jhumki Shah said that the attack was sudden and that she and her family members had to lock themselves in a room to escape the mob.
“Suddenly, a mob came charging in and attacked in such a way that there was no time to understand anything or even escape. Everyone gathered in one room and locked themselves in. They broke in, opened the locker, and looted all the jewellery and cash in the house. They were saying that they wouldn’t let a single Hindu stay here, that they would burn everyone to ashes,” she told ANI.
She said that there was none to help them. “There was no one to help us. We kept calling the police again and again–they kept saying they would come in 10 minutes. The attackers entered the house at 9 PM and left at 1:30 AM. We left after the BSF arrived,” she added.
Rekha Rani Shah said that after the attack, 10 Hindu families living in the village left. 
“Everything was destroyed, and all the clothes were set on fire and thrown onto the street. There were ten (Hindu) families in our village, and we all fled. Each of us escaped with just the sari or clothes we were wearing, out of fear for our lives,” she told ANI.
Violence broke out in Murshidabad during a protest of the Muslim community against the Waqf Amendment Act on April 11. The protests turned violent, resulting in the deaths of a father-son duo and injuries to several others, with widespread property damage. One person was also killed in the police firing.
So far, 150 people have been arrested in connection with the Murshidabad violence, and adequate police forces have been deployed in Samserganj, Dhuliyan, and other affected areas of Murshidabad, West Bengal Police said.
The BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of supporting the protesters and criticised TMC MP Bapi Halder for making threatening remarks.
On Monday, the West Bengal police said that the situation in the violence-hit areas of Murshidabad was normal and urged people not to believe any rumours.
Speaking on the current situation, ADG, South Bengal Police, Supratim Sarkar said, “The situation is normal now. Everyone is safe. The CRPF, state police, and joint forces are deployed. The DGP of West Bengal police himself was present at the Samserganj police station. We request everyone not to go through rumours. We opened a control room. Anyone facing any issue can contact us at any time.” (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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