Prophet row: Now tension spreads to Bengal's Nadia district

Kolkata, June 12 (IANS) After Howrah and Murshidabad districts in West Bengal, tension and agitations over the controversial comments on Prophet Muhammad has now spread to the state's Nadia district.

On Sunday evening, an agitated crowd protesting the remarks by BJP's Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, reached the Bethuadahari railway station in Nadia district.

The crowd eventually turned violent and started pelting stones and ransacked the offices within the station premises also the coach of the train stranded at the station.

The agitators also blocked the adjacent National Highway-24 as well as the railways tracks there. Following this, train services in the division came to halt for hours. Some of the shops along the roads were also ransacked.

It was learnt that the demonstrators began the procession from the Nakashipara area in Nadia district and there were only a few policemen to escort the crowd.

On Sunday, West Bengal BJP president and party MP, Sukanta Majumdar appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to shed her ego and immediately ask for the deployment of central armed forces in the trouble-prone areas in the different districts of the state.

"The state police are incapable of handling the tension and violence that has been brewing throughout the state for the last three days. Hence, the chief minister should immediately take initiative to deploy central armed forces to bring the situation under control immediately," Majumdar.

Meanwhile, fresh tension also broke out in the Belda area in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Sunday evening over a social media post of a local BJP worker that reportedly had elements of provoking tension.

The BJP worker, Chandan Jana, was arrested later in the evening.

For the last three days, several minority dominated pockets in Howrah district have seen tension following agitation by the protesters against the controversial comments on Prophet Muhammad.

Despite the Chief Minister's stern warnings of strong action against agitators, tension continued to brew and also spread to other districts in West Bengal.

Tension had also been brewing over the police resistance on Majumdar and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from reaching the tension-prone areas.

The Trinamool Congress leadership including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleged that the BJP leaders were further trying to provoke and fuel tension.