On 26th February, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) issued a press release announcing the arrest of 16 persons for conspiring and carrying out an attack on Hindus during Ram Navami in Dalkhola of district Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal.
The arrested persons have been identified as Afroj Alam, Ashraf, Imtiaz Alam, Irfan Alam, Kaiser, Farid Alam, Furkan Alam, Mohammad Pappu, Suleman, Sarjan, Nurul Hoda, Wasim Arya, Salahuddin, Jannath, Wasim Akram and Tanweer Alam. All of them are residents of Dalkhola.
NIA Arrests 16 in West Bengal Ram Navami Violence Case pic.twitter.com/gQ1FQNwxXL
— NIA India (@NIA_India) February 26, 2024
As per the press release, NIA arrested the accused of the Ram Navami attack in West Bengal based on the revelations that came to light during the investigation. The accused were identified based on the video footage seized by the investigating agency during the court of the investigation. The attack on Hindus took place on 30th March 2023 during the Ram Navami procession. NIA stated that the accused were among the attackers.
Initially, West Bengal police registered a case against 162 persons following the attack on Hindus at Tajamul Chawk, Uttar Dalkhola. Later, on 27th April 2023, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the cases to NIA, and subsequently, the investigation agency took up six such cases. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
Attack on Hindus on Ram Navami in Dalkhola, West Bengal
On 31st March 2023, clashes broke out between two communities during a Ram Navami procession in the Dalkhola area of Islampur town of North Dinajpur. One person was killed and 5-6 policemen were injured in clashes in a Muslim-dominated area. The Bengal Police stated that the cause of the young man’s death was a heart attack. In 2023 alone, 29 instances of attacks on Hindu processions took place. OpIndia’s detailed report can be checked here.
