Kolkata, June 12 (IANS) The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday approached a division bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the clashes that broke out between two groups in Maheshtala area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

In the petition, the LoP also sought immediate deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel in the Maheshtala area under Rabindra Nagar Police Station, where clashes broke out on Wednesday, and the situation continues to be tense.

The division bench headed by Justice Soumen Sen has admitted the petition. However, it is not yet clear when exactly the matter will come up for hearing at the said division bench.

“Already Calcutta High Court, in its order on Murshidabad riots in April this year, observed that CAPF can be deployed at any place in the entire state, where such communal tension would break out. The same order is valid till July 30. So we have sought the attention of the Calcutta High Court. I wanted to meet the state Director General of Police, Rajeev Kumar. However, despite being in office, he refused to meet me since he was asked by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not to,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari, at the same time, had written a letter to West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant raising the demand for CAPF deployment at the troubled pockets at Maheshtala.

Adhikari had also approached the DGP and the police superintendent of Diamond Harbour Police District, under whose jurisdiction the troubled area comes, for permission for him and one more BJP legislator to visit Maheshtala to meet and express solidarity with the victim Hindu families and the affected Hindu shopkeepers who came under the attack on Wednesday.

Earlier, on Wednesday night, the LoP sought the intervention of Governor C.V. Ananda Bose in initiating disciplinary action against the inspector-in-charge of the local Rabindra Nagar police station for allegedly remaining inactive in preventing clashes.

“I will be meeting the Governor…We will also raise the issue in the Assembly,” Adhikari said.

So far, 18 persons have been arrested in connection with Wednesday’s clashes, out of which 14 were arrested on Wednesday night only, and the remaining four were arrested early Thursday morning.

The overall situation in the Maheshtala area continued to be quite tense, with most of the shops remaining closed even on Thursday morning. A huge police contingent, including the personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), continued to be deployed in the area to restore confidence among the people. Prohibitory orders barring the assembly of a particular number of people at a time have been imposed in the locality.

–IANS

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