Five more individuals have been arrested by the West Bengal Police for their alleged involvement in the Murshidabad riots, taking the total number of arrests to 307, a senior officer said on Thursday.
They were nabbed from different locations in the district on Wednesday, in connection with the riots that claimed the lives of 3 people and several were injured, he added.
“These five persons were involved in rioting. We arrested them on Wednesday,” a senior officer of the Special Investigative Team (SIT) formed to probe the incidents of violence told news agency PTI.
Efforts are underway to bring back the younger son of the main accused, Ziaul Sheikh, who is presently in the custody of Odisha Police, the official stated.
Communal violence erupted on April 11 and 12 in the Murshidabad district’s Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur areas during demonstrations against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The clashes led to the deaths of three individuals.
109 Houses Were Damaged
Meanwhile, during the incident, altogether 109 houses were damaged, according to a government survey on Wednesday. An official announced that the report was submitted to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant at the state secretariat, Nabanna.
“The Murshidabad district administration conducted a survey and found that 109 houses were damaged during the recent riots at Dhulian, Shamsherganj, and Suti,” the official told PTI.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier declared that all homes damaged during the unrest would be reconstructed through the state’s ‘Banglar Bari’ housing scheme.
When asked about losses to shops and commercial properties, an official stated that the Panchayat department’s principal secretary and the district administration had been tasked with conducting a joint evaluation.
The Additional District Magistrate of Murshidabad has been assigned to oversee the rehabilitation of displaced families and the rebuilding of their homes, the official added.
Following the violence, hundreds of residents fled Murshidabad and took shelter in neighbouring Malda district, fearing for their safety.
A senior government official later said all displaced individuals had returned and were being looked after by the district administration. On Tuesday, CM Banerjee also announced plans to personally visit the affected areas in Murshidabad during the first week of May.
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