By Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, TwoCircles.net

Over the past six months, communal tensions have been simmering across the state of West Bengal, with various incidents reported from the state, and especially in the region around Kolkata. From Dhaulagarh to Metiabruz, there have been various events that have threatened the safety of common citizens, and the latest event comes from North Parganas after an extremely controversial Facebook post from a teenager angered members of the Muslim community. As per the latest report, about 300 personnel of paramilitary forces were being rushed to the state to assist the local police in containing the situation.

On Tuesday, a 17-year-old boy, who is from the Hindu community posted objectionable images related to the Muslim faith on Facebook, which led to a massive commotion between two religious groups in Keosha, Ramchandrapur and Swarupnagar villages in Baduria, North Parganas. Members of the Muslim community took to the streets to demand punishment for the accused and blocked the roads to protest. In the ensuing violence, properties of both Hindus and Muslims, especially shops, suffered extensive damages.

Muslim organisations, intellectuals and many other Hindu people individually condemned the heinous event and came forward to requesting local people to maintain peace in the area.

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According to Tarikul Islam, the working Secretary of All India Sunnat Al Jamayat, a non-profit Islamic Welfare Trust based in Mohammadpur, Rajarhat, Kolkata, “the local police have arrested the main culprit. We would like to thank them and would request to all my fellow Muslim brothers who are in protest to stop this now. Our Indian constitution will ensure us justice”.

Prabhas Chandra Dey, the S.I of Baduria police station who is handling the case, could not be contacted for his comments.

Abdul Matin, the General Secretary of Sunnat Al Jamayat, went to the Rudrapur village and requested the protesters to stop unwanted road blockings and not fall to the agenda of polarisation.

Osman Gani, the State President of Students’ Islamic Organization, said “we must protest against such kind of immature activities, but that must be particularly against the individual who committed the crime. We must ensure that no one is harmed and that our protests as per what our constitution allows us. A protest should not turn into a violent space”.

Baduria came into news for the wrong reasons on the day of Eid too, when a local newspaper Yogashankha reported that Muslims of Baduria had hoisted the Pakistani national flag during Eid. In reality, however, it was the Islamic flag of half moon and star that is the symbol of peace in Islam. Though the authority of the paper suspended Parimal Dey who covered the news, many locals said this was a political plot to antagonise the two communities.