West Bengal Politics: Appeasement II

This is in continuation to our previous blog West Bengal Politics: Appeasement

Appeasement in a political context is a diplomatic policy of making political or material concessions to an enemy power in order to avoid conflict and the dictionary meaning is ‘the policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace.’ If anyone goes by either of the meaning – political or dictionary, it is evident that it is extended to enemies. But why? Why a crime will not be strongly dealt with? Why they will be allowed to do whatever they like? This is leading to nowhere but creating an unruly community in India.

Another such unruly incident happened in 2010 at Deganga, a Community Development Block (CDB) in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The Left Front was in power and TMC was in opposition. It is alleged that the Hazi Nurul Islam, Trinamool Congress MP from Bashirhat constituency of West Bengal conducted the entire episode.

2010 Deganga Riot

The spark for the riots related to a land dispute at Chattal Pally village that was formerly owned by Rani Rashmoni – the founder of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata. On this were a Muslim cemetery and a place of Hindu worship which was used for annual Durga Puja for years. The two areas, were separated by a narrow pathway. News reports variously claimed that members of the Muslim community had begun to excavate that pathway on the morning of 6 September 2010, or had been constructing a wall there. There were claims that the action was an attempt to stop the Durga Puja for which Hindu community had been constructing a "makeshift structure" (a pandal adjacent to their temple) by the boundary of the cemetery. Underlying the immediate cause was resentment relating to use of a loudspeaker by a local mosque: the Kolkata High Court was at that time in the process of adjudicating on the issue and had prevented its use while doing so, and there was a belief that Haji Nurul Islam had gained votes in the 2009 elections by promising to support those who favoured its use.

Haji Nurul Islam

Members of the Hindu community objected to the works being carried out on 6 September. Some news reports indicated that the objectors were attacked for doing so, while others stated that the attacks began when the police intervened. The police tactics involved use of a lathicharge and resulted in the arrest of three or four Muslims. The Muslim community retaliated first by establishing a road-block and then, in the evening, by marching as a mob to protest at the police station. Shops and other property belonging to Hindus were looted, burned, torched and destroyed, as were various vehicles on the road, including some belonging to the police and buses. Claims were made that this mob of around 500 people was led by Haji Nurul Islam, although other "local ruffians" were also named among the leaders. The troubles spread to the nearby areas of Kadambagachi and Beliaghata, and two Hindu temples were also desecrated.

The disruption continued overnight and into Tuesday morning. The police, who were outnumbered by the mob, had been augmented by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and then by paramilitary reinforcements as the number of reported injured people rose to at least 24. A curfew was also put in place, using powers available under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. With the RAF, Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force also finding themselves to be outnumbered and unable fully to control matters, the central government sent in the Army. The force, which was variously reported to comprise 125 and 200 personnel, conducted route marches in the area.

The violence was worsened by the death of a youth who had been shot by one of the protestors. Although the Trinamool Party had refused to take part in meetings intended to resolve the riots, Haji Nurul Islam refuted claims that members of his party were protecting the rioters and explained that they were instead trying to pacify those involved. The violence continued on Wednesday morning, 8 September, with one incident involving a mob from Ramnathpur and Khejurdanga attacking houses in the Salimpukur and Hospital area, off the Taki Road that runs through the district. They ransacked 23 houses, causing their victims to take shelter in nearby Kartikpur. The Section 144 provisions were extended to include additional areas, more arrests were made and tear gas was used. Nonetheless, state officials claimed that the situation was gradually coming under control and they announced a compensation scheme for those who had lost property.

A later news report, published on Friday 10 September, noted that at least 250 shops had been looted during the several days of rioting, while 50 houses had been burned and 5 temples desecrated. The mob had also hoisted a loudspeaker at the mosque near Deganga market, violating the High Court order.

Sporadic incidents continued as late as Thursday but had calmed by Friday. The army and various law enforcement bodies remained in place while the Muslim festival of Eid was celebrated on Saturday 11 September, by which time the Trinamool Congress and the CPIM had announced their plans for a peace meeting on 13 September that would involve various religious leaders. The two parties claimed that the troublemakers had come into the area from other villages. The army returned to their barracks on Saturday

While writing this blog we came to know another riot has started at Samudragarh, in Bardhaman district of West Bengal.

2015 Samudragarh Riot
On 4th June 2015, Muslims attacked Hindus at Samudragarh Rail Station market under Nandanghat Police Station of Bardhaman District in West Bengal. 20 houses of Hindus have been gutted and 50 shops have been looted. The mob looted motorbikes and cycles from Samudragarh cycle and bike stand. Many car and vehicles including two of the Police vehicles were severely damaged. Few thousands Muslims captured all 4 platforms of the railway station. When Hindus tried to proceed to the market, the mob started throwing stones from railway line. Few policemen standing there were mere spectators.

                  

             

Local residents tried to call the Sri Swapan Debnath - Local MLA from TMC and influential State Minister, but his mobile was switched off!!

The incident started during noon, when some Muslim guys drank wine from a local wine shop owned by Hindu and refused to pay the bill which resulted in a scuffle. They went back that moment and came back. In the evening they came in thousands and attacked Hindu houses and shops.

Apart from the above mentioned two riots, another riot took place at Nadia in this year only - 2015. A blog which briefed Nadia Riot exclusively was published earlier.

Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler

In International politics, the term Appeasement is most often referred to the foreign policy of the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain towards Nazi Germany between 1937 and 1939. Many historians' assessment was that the appeasement allowed Adolf Hitler's Germany to grow too strong. In March 1939, when Germany seized the remainder of Czechoslovakia, it was clear that appeasement had failed. Chamberlain now promised British support to Poland in the case of German aggression. A misguided belief in ‘peace in our time’ was replaced by a reluctant acceptance of the inevitability of war. Germany invaded Poland on 1^st September 1939; two days later Britain and France declared war against Germany. World War II started in Europe. World War II (1939–1945) was war of Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria) versus Allies (U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia) which Allies won. Taking a lesson from history, appeasement can’t work forever as it has mostly failed. Intervention at very beginning and lawfully tackling each and every situation is a permanent remedy to such situations.