Kolkata, May 5 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and accused her of "peddling falsehoods" and downplaying the severity of violence against Hindus in the recent Murshidabad riots.

Talking to reporters, Adhikari, who is also the leader of the Opposition, alleged that Banerjee was indirectly responsible for the violence, as police remained inactive when Hindus faced attacks during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act on April 11–12.

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"The Chief Minister should be ashamed. She claimed the violence was confined to just two wards in Shamsherganj. Who gave her such misleading information? Hundreds of property were vandalised and torched. Two members of a particular community — both idol makers — were butchered. Nine temples were desecrated and damaged. The attacks spanned vast areas of Jangipur, Shamsherganj, Suti and Dhulian, forcing thousands to flee. Yet she claims it was limited to two wards?" Adhikari said.

Responding to Banerjee's remark that the BJP took family members of victims Hargovinda Das and Chandan Das to Kolkata and "misled" them, Adhikari retorted, "Why doesn't she admit that her government failed to provide them safety?"

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He also referred to Banerjee's visit to Beldanga in Murshidabad last November following communal tensions, alleging that her statements during that visit emboldened "fanatic elements," which he claimed led to the recent violence.

"You (CM) did not rely on police, but the instigators in the recent riots from Mothabari in Malda to Suti and Jangipur. You are responsible for this violence. Because of you, the Hindus in Mothabari, Suti and Jangipur had to bear with such an ordeal. The administration offered meagre compensation while financial losses ran into lakhs. Her government showed little sympathy toward Hindu victims," he added.

Adhikari further alleged that Banerjee had no concern for the family of the slain Das brothers, claiming police failed to respond to their distress calls, leaving the victims' bodies lying in front of their home for over four hours.

"That is why the family rejected the Rs 10 lakh compensation offered by her party and the state government — not once but three times. They accepted our assistance instead," he alleged.

The BJP leader also claimed that large portions of the CM's road route from Berhampore to the affected areas had been barricaded to prevent victims from meeting her and voicing their grievances.

Responding to Banerjee's comments blaming the Border Security Force (BSF) for allowing outsiders to enter Murshidabad, Adhikari countered, "It was the BSF that helped control the situation at the request of the state administration, after the police fled the scene."

He also alleged that police coerced the surviving son of Hargovind Das into filing a "missing person" FIR for his mother and sister.

However, the son has since withdrawn the complaint and is expected to testify before the High Court along with other family members, demanding a central agency probe into the killings, Adhikari claimed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)