Kolkata, June 17 (IANS) The special investigation team (SIT) of West Bengal Police investigating the case of communal violence in Murshidabad said on Tuesday that they have arrested two other accused in the case.

The accused persons have been identified as Kaiser Sheikh and Mostakin Sheikh. They are resident of Sulitala village in the Dhuliyan area in Murshidabad district, one of the most troubled pockets during the communal violence.

An official said that they were responsible for instigating the crowd to protest in the area against the newly promulgated Waqf (Amendment) Act and encouraging them to conduct riots, arson, and vandalism.

Complaints were registered against both of them at the local police station immediately after the communal violence. However, both were absconding.

Both of them were presented to a district court in Murshidabad on Tuesday, and the judge granted the plea from the public prosecutor for their police custody.

Murshidabad areas like Suti, Dhuliyan, Raghunathganj, and Samserganj, among others, were majorly affected by the communal violence and riot-like situation after protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent.

Several shops and houses owned by Hindus were destroyed and gutted, and some Hindu religious establishments were also vandalised. The worst-affected place was Jafrabad village in the Samserganj area, where Hargobindo Das and Chandan Das, a father and son, were hacked by the rioters.

The communal tension broke out on April 8. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed on the night of April 12, following the order of a special division bench of the Calcutta High Court, created exclusively to hear the matter of the Murshidabad violence.

While ordering the CAPF deployment, the special division bench observed that the situation in Murshidabad would not have turned so serious had the state government taken the decision to deploy central forces earlier.

–IANS

src/dan