West Bengal communal violence: Clashes triggered in Baduria and Basirhat areas of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas. (Source: PTI)

West Bengal communal violence: After clashes triggered in Baduria and Basirhat areas of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas over a Facebook post, Internet services were disrupted in the Baduria district, reported ANI. The decision was taken after an angry mob had torched police vehicles, vandalised shops and blocked roads leading to the India-Bangladesh border after a derogatory post on social media. The Union Ministry on Tuesday had dispatched three companies of paramilitary forces after the state sought the Centre’s help. The state government has also been asked to send a detailed report of the incident.

According to a report by The Indian Express, trouble started when a Class X student allegedly put up a derogatory post on Facebook on Monday. Even though the boy was nabbed on Monday evening, mobs vandalised shops and homes and blocked major roads in protest. The crowd also demonstrated in front of Baduria police station. Meanwhile, the incident also triggered a rift between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, whom she accused of acting like a BJP block president and “threatening” her, according to a report by PTI.

Banerjee, while strongly reacting to her conversation with Tripathi over the incident, said she felt so offended that “I once even thought of leaving (quitting as chief minister)” A Raj Bhavan statement quoted Tripathi as having said nothing happened during the talks over which Banerjee should feel “insulted, threatened or humiliated”. “The talks between the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the Hon’ble Governor were confidential in nature and none is expected to disclose it,” a statement issued by Raj Bhavan said.

A senior Border Security Force (BSF) officer told the agency that as many as four companies comprising 400 troops of the force’s South Bengal Frontier have been deployed in Bashirhat, Swarupnagar, Baduria and Devganga areas to assist the state police in containing the situation.