Tensions erupted in Raghunathganj in Murshidabad district of West Bengal during a Ram Navami procession, said the police on Friday. The incident left several people wounded, while many shops were also set on fire, causing further chaos in the town.
The violence had erupted when a man reportedly tried to remove a flag and replace it with another during a Ram Navami procession. Several videos have also gone viral that showed the escalated tensions in the area. However, India TV Digital cannot independently verify the veracity of the video.
The situation had become so tensed that the police was forced to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd and bring the control the crisis. Heavy police deployment continues in the town, as tensions prevail. In addition, teams of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have also been deployed.
The police also conducted a flag march, appealing to people to maintain peace and calm. "The situation is under control now. We have arrested and detained many people. Don't worry. Let us conduct and assessment first, we will provide further details following that," said Murshidabad Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ajeet Singh Yadav.
It is worth mentioning here that assembly elections are slated to be held in West Bengal. The polling would be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, while the Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the counting of votes on May 4.
This is the latest incident of violence in the Murshidabad district. Last year in April, the district witnessed massive violence following protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Incidents of stone pelting were also reported, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of targeting the Hindus.
In February this year, the Supreme Court asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file report in the Calcutta High Court to justify the invocation of provision of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court had also disposed an appeal of the West Bengal government, asking it to approach the high court over its grievances against the NIA probe.
That order was passed by a two-judge bench that included Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
