Taslima-Nandigram mix brings Army out

Md Safi Shamsi / Ravik Bhattacharya / Subrata Nagchoudhury

Fearing communal flare-up, West Bengal calls in Army, clamps curfew in parts of Kolkata after angry mob clubs Bangla author’s presence with Nandigram violence.

KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 21:

For the first time since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, the Left Front government in West Bengal called out the Army and imposed night curfew in central Kolkata after mob violence following a protest against the presence of Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen in the city and attacks on Nandigram villagers by CPM cadres.

The Army’s presence brought peace on the main streets but lanes and bylanes seethed with tension until late tonight forcing the government to clamp curfew from 10 pm to 6 am in areas under five police stations, including Park Street, Park Circus and Ripon Street.

By evening, the clashes had left a trail of injured — 35 policemen, including a Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police. The police arrested 57 people. Mobs attacked a couple of CPM offices close to the party headquarters in Alimuddin Street.

Nasreen, hounded by fundamentalists in Bangladesh, has been in the city since 2004. And several hardline Muslim groups have earlier too protested against her presence.
What was of concern to the government today was how little-known groups got together to bring both Nasreen and Nandigram together — a majority of the victims in Nandigram of CPM violence are Muslim — to confront the CPM and the government.

While police are still trying to figure out the key players, The Indian Express spoke to several eyewitnesses, police sources and protesters to find that the rallyists included fundamentalist Islamic leaders, Opposition politicians from Trinamool Congress and Congress and religious Muslim organizations.

Their “cause” was a potentially explosive mix of Taslima Nasreen and Nandigram, both on full display in the placards they carried and the slogans they shouted.

bThe dramatis personae:

Officially, the rally was organised by the All India Minority Forum headed by Idris Ali of the Congress. This organisation in the past has never been able to mobilise more than 40 people for a rally. Police officials don’t know how, given its limited logistical capability, it could spark off such widespread violence today.

• FurFuraSharif Foundation, a religious organization with a sizeable following of Bengali Muslims. On several occasions, it has officially interacted with the government — over a year ago, it held a protest rally against a madrasa textbook on Islamic history that it alleged contained “objectionable references.”

• Said its leader Maulana Toha Siddiqui: “Our protest was against the atrocities by CPM cadres against Muslims in Nandigram and Taslima Nasreen’s visa extension. A magazine patronized by the CPM, Path Sanket, ran an anonymous letter in which a blasphemous comment was made against the Prophet. The same issue had a piece by Biman Bose, CPM politburo member. We made our displeasure known to the government and called for a ban on the magazine.”

• Quami Awaz Welfare Society: Roshan Ali of this little-heard organization was one of the three leaders arrested from Park Circus prior to the outbreak of violence. Sources said that Quami Awaz is a new organisation, more religious than political.

• Opposition political activists: The mob had a large following from both the Trinamool and the Congress. One of those arrested was Mumtaz Alam, a former Congress councillor. In Linton Street and Tantibagan Lane, the epicentre of the violence, the mob was being led by Fahim, a local Trinamool leader. In Ripon Street and Goltala, the mob was led by Iqbal and Sultan Ahmed, who have shuttled between the Congress and the Trinamool.

• A section of the followers were from the Milli Ittehad Parishad — a conglomerate of 12 Muslim organizations formed in August this year as a pressure group in close touch with the government on the Taslima issue. It has sent letters to the Governor and the Chief Minister protesting against her presence.

• Jamiat-e-Ulema-Hind’s Sidiqullah Chowdhury, who is one of the prime movers behind the Nandigram protests, has been one of the most vocal protestors against Taslima too. Just six days ago, he led a massive procession holding placards demanding her “eviction” from the state and India. Although his banner was absent today, police said the rally had members from the People’s Democratic Conference of India — the Jamiat’s political wing.

• In the evening, the government sent Syed Md. Noorur Rahman Barkati, Shahi Imam of the Tipu Sultan Mosque, to the troubled areas to appeal for peace. After his visit, Barkati, known for his allegiance to both the Congress and Trinamool, said: “Messages have been conveyed to the people and things will soon be under control.”

Such a gallery of characters made for a controversial mix. “Communal sentiments were involved and the issue is also sensitive. We will now work along with Army men to maintain peace,” admitted police chief Gautam Mohan Chakraborti, facing his first trial by fire after taking over from Prasun Mukherjee who had to resign over the Rizwanur-Priyanka case.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/242020.html