The central armed police forces were deployed in West Bengal to assist the state police in maintaining law and order during Hanuman Jayanti celebration on April 6, the Union Home Ministry said on Wednesday. The state had witnessed sporadic violence and stone pelting during the Ram Navami processions last week.
In a separate order earlier in the day, the MHA urged all states to ensure law and order during the festival on Thursday.
"The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has issued an advisory to all states in preparation for Hanuman Jayanti. The governments are encouraged to ensure the maintenance of law and order, peaceful observance of the festival, and monitoring of any factors that could disturb communal harmony in society," the Home Minister's Office tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to requisition central forces for assisting the state police in maintaining peace during the celebrations.
The court also directed the Centre to make swift arrangements for such deployment on receipt of requisition from the state.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged people to celebrate the festival peacefully. "Tomorrow is Hanuman Jayanti. I will urge everybody to celebrate it peacefully. There will be no problem if peace is observed. Bengal is the land of peace,” she said.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to conduct 500 Hanuman Jayanti programmes across West Bengal but no weapons would be carried in the processions.
Banerjee had on Monday alleged that plans were afoot for another round of violence in the state on April 6 when the nation celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.
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"I will entrust a responsibility to my Hindu brothers to see that minorities are not tortured on April 6 (Hanuman Jayanti)," she had said.
The chief minister also urged the youth to come forward to prevent any kind of tension, and said protection should be given to the Scheduled Caste and Adivasi communities, too.
Clashes and instances of fire-bombing were reported from Hooghly and Howrah districts of West Bengal over Ram Navami processions, including on Monday night. Several vehicles were also torched and shops ransacked in Howrah.
Clashes were reported in West Bengal's Rishra on Sunday during a Ram Navami procession in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised.
Parts of nearby Serampore also witnessed incidents of vandalism following which prohibitory orders were imposed and Internet services suspended.
The chief minister said the clashes during the Ram Navami processions were deliberately stocked by the organisers who took it to routes that were not permitted. Targeting the BJP, she questioned the justification of taking out the procession three days after Ram Navami.
"We are in the middle of Ramzan month. But some people are steering the processions to sensitive areas with the intention of creating tension. The fruit stalls in those areas have been burnt down. They are even participating in the procession with firearms and other lethal weapons," she said.
With PTI inputs
