Police officers transferred amid probe into South 24 Parganas clash in West Bengal

KOlkata: 2 senior law officers — the sub-divisional law ship's officer (SDPO) of Maheshtala and the inspector-in-charge (IC) of Rabindranagar law station — were transferred on Saturday in what police officers described as a routine reshuffle.This comes in the background of a clash that broke out between two groups over an illegal construction in the Rabindranagar police station area and adjacent areas of Nadial on June 11. The trouble erupted on Wednesday afternoon after an attempt to plant Tulsi saplings in front of a temple on a pavement where a Muslim fruit seller used to run his shop.SDPO Kamrujjaman Molla was transferred to the state armed police as the assistant commandant of the third battalion, while IC Mukul Mia was transferred to Darjeeling district in North Bengal as the inspector.“It was a routine transfer. A few other officers from other areas including Malda and the state police’s special task force were also transferred,” a senior officer said.Around 10 police personnel were injured when they tried to stop the two groups on Wednesday. Stones were pelted, police vehicles were damaged, and a two-wheeler was torched in the middle of the road. Several shops were ransacked by the mob. The police had to resort to a lathi charge and fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob, following which prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were imposed.At least 40 people involved in the attacks had been arrested till Thursday afternoon.Also Read: Bengal: 4 held after 8 cops injured, bike torched in Kolkata suburb shop clashAccusing the police of arriving late, the locals said that by the time the police had arrived, a huge mob had gathered and the clash had erupted, and police were attacked with bricks. Later, reinforcements were sent in to control the situation.“Allegations of lapses against the police will be looked into. If there were any lapses on the part of the police, strict actions would be taken,” superintendent of the Diamond Harbour police station Rahul Goswami said.Also Read: Bengal cops probe conspiracy angle behind clash in South 24 ParganasThe police on Thursday said that they are investigating if the illegal construction which triggered the clash was part of a conspiracy to fuel communal tension in South 24 Parganas district. “A clash between two groups occurred yesterday afternoon in Rabindra Nagar police station area and adjacent areas of Nadial over illegal construction and plantation on govt land without any permission whatsoever and replacing an existing shop in the process, resulting in brick-batting at police and isolated vandalism in the vicinity. Whether the illegal construction was planned and designed as a conspiracy to fuel communal tension is also being probed in all seriousness,” the West Bengal police said in a post on X on Thursday.