Hours after it came to light that a Hindu temple was in Basirhat, the West Bengal Police on Sunday (9th March) took to social media to claim that there was ‘no communal angle’ behind the heinous crime.
While dubbing the incident as mere ‘mischief, ‘ the police stated, “Efforts are being made from certain quarters to spread misinformation and communal unrest regarding an incident in Basirhat today where an idol in a Kali Temple was found to be damaged.“
“The idol is being replaced and the person responsible for the mischief has been arrested,” it further added.
Screengrab of the tweets by the Basirhat police district
The police went on to claim that the extremist behind vandalism of the idol of Goddess Kali has ‘mental health issues.’
“Preliminary enquiry suggests that the person has mental health issues. The situation is peaceful and under control. Police remains alert and vigilant. Harshest possible action shall be taken against those committing/attempting similar mischief anywhere in the state,” it concluded.
The Background of the Controversy
On Sunday (9th March), BJP leader Dilip Ghosh took to X (formerly Twitter) to inform about the attack on a Kali temple and the vandalism of the idol of the Hindu deity.
The incident occurred in Shankchura Bazar in Basirhat city in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
In a tweet, Dilip Ghosh said, “In a shocking incident, the idol of Goddess Kali was vandalized at the Kali temple in Shankhchura Bazaar, under the jurisdiction of the Basirhat Police Station.”
The BJP leader stated that the attack on the temple took place under the leadership of local TMC politician Shahanoor Mondal.
Amit Malviya, the national spokesperson of the BJP, also lashed out at the ruling dispensation in the State for failing to safeguard Hindu temples and idols of deities.
“After Jadavpur, another incident has emerged-an idol of Goddess Kali has been vandalized in Sankhachara Bazaar, located in the Basirhat South Assembly constituency,” he stated.
“Once again, the local Trinamool MLA might dismiss this as a BJP conspiracy or even claim that Hindus themselves are behind it as part of a plot,” Amit Malviya informed.
“Will Mamata Banerjee finally address the alarming rise in atrocities against Hindus over the past five days?” he inquired.