The 2013 Canning riots were anti-Hindu riots in state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

on 21 February 2013. The riots occurred in the

Canning subdivision Canning subdivision is an administrative subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview Canning subdivision has a very low level of urbanization. Only 12.37% of the population lives in the urban areas a ...

, after a Muslim cleric was stopped and killed by half dozen unidentified assailants near Nalekhali. Following this incident, more than 200 homes were burned down in the villages of Naliakhali, Herobhanga, Gopalpur, and Goladogra in the

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under ...

police station area. Several shops were looted in

Jaynagar Majilpur Jaynagar Majilpur () is a city and a municipality of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the southern suburbs of Kolkata. As an urban setup in the vicinity of Kolkata, the city is within the area of ...

police station area under

Baruipur subdivision Baruipur subdivision is an administrative subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview Baruipur subdivision is a rural subdivision with moderate levels of urbanization. 31.05% of the population lives i ...

. Incidents of violence were reported from

, Jaynagar Majilpur, Kultali and Basanti police station areas.

Background

On 19 February 2013, shortly after midnight,

Indian Standard Time Indian Standard Time (IST), sometimes also called India Standard Time, is the time zone observed throughout the Republic of India, with a time offset of UTC+05:30. India does not observe daylight saving time or other seasonal adjustments. I ...

, a Muslim

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

from Ghutiari Sharif in

was returning from a religious congregation at Jamtala in Jaynagar, in a motorcycle along with a colleague. When they reached Naliakhali around 2 a.m., they were intercepted by a gang who robbed the cleric and shot him. According to police sources, the cleric was reportedly carrying 1,150,000 in cash that was looted by the unidentified gunmen. The altercation resulted in the death of the imam, although his companion managed to flee after sustaining injuries. At dawn, the driver of the first bus from Golabari to

discovered the body and intimated the

police station. Several other bus drivers travelling on that route communicated their findings to the police station. The police initially took the incident casually and made no effort to visit Naliakhali. Police were unable able to trace the culprits or even the motive behind the murder. The murder of a Muslim cleric with a large following in the same district emotionally charged the locals.

Violence

Naliakhali is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

majority village in the Gopalpur panchayat that fell under the executive jurisdiction of the

police station A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...

. A crowd gathered at the site of the attack and rumors began to spread that the killers were from the village of Naliakhali. Thousands of people from neighbouring areas, such as

, Jibantala, Sarengabad, Jhorormore, Narayanpur, and Dhoaghata gathered on the site and refused to part with the body of cleric. When police tried to take away the body of the cleric for processing, the mob attacked the police with s. Anup Kumar Ghosh, the

sub-inspector Sub-inspector (SI), or sub-inspector of police or police sub-inspector (PSI), is a rank used extensively in South Asia: in the police forces of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, which are primarily based on the British model. It was form ...

of the police station at

, was injured and was admitted to the

Sub-divisional Hospital. Seven policemen were injured in the attack. The mob also attacked and damaged police vehicles. In the meantime, neighbors of the dead imam were transported to

from

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

in lorries. A local school principal reportedly incited the mob into violence. At around 10 a.m., a heavily armed mob of at least 10,000 began an attack upon Naliakhali. They ed and looted the homes of

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...

s as the residents fled for their lives. Rioters hurled bombs, doused the houses with petrol and set them on fire. Violence and arson spread to nearby locations such as Dhopar More and Bangalpara. Hindu homes and places of business were ed in Gopalpur, Goladogra, and Herobhanga. The crowd blocked the road at Bhangankhali, Priyor More, Hospital More, and Natunhat. Protesters staged a rail blockage at Ghutiari Sharif station in the Sonarpur-Canning section of the

Sealdah South lines Sealdah South section consists of a set of four lines which connect in Kolkata with its southern suburbs and with the entire South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway and is under the jurisd ...

. At around 11 a.m., the

South 24 Parganas South 24 Parganas (Pron: pɔrɡɔnɔs; abbr. 24 PGS (S)), or sometimes South Twenty Four Parganas and Dakshin 24 Parganas, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore previously, with its Zilla Parishad now in Ba ...

District Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar Tripathi, reached the spot along with a massive riot squad and Rapid Action Force battalions. They resorted to a

lathi charge A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police, paramilitary or military in response to public disorder. In the Indian subcontinent, a long bamboo stick, called a '' lathi'' in Bengali, Hindi, ...

in order to pacify and disperse the mob. The body of the imam was then sent for an

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

. In the late afternoon reinforcements from the

Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate Bidhannagar City Police (Bengali: বিধাননগর সিটি পুলিশ), established on 20 January 2012, is a police force with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Bidhannagar Municipal Corpor ...

and the

Howrah Police Commissionerate Howrah City Police ( Bengali: হাওড়া শহর পুলিশ) established in 2011, is a city police force with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation in Howrah city and some of its adjacent areas in Howrah d ...

reached with water cannons to douse the flames of the burning village. The police evoked Section-144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and established a

curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

in the area.

Aftermath

More than 200 houses were burnt in several villages that came under the jurisdictions of the

, Jaynagar, Kultali and Basanti police stations, displacing more than 2,000 people. Some of the displaced people took shelter in makeshift relief camps while others had to live on the road. The state government announced a compensation of 300,000 to the family of the murdered cleric and 10,000 to each of the 93 families displaced by the violence. 52 people were arrested by the police in connection with the violence. Some NGOs have provided food and medicine to the affected region in Naliakhali. West Bengal Minister of State for Minority Affairs and

Trinamool Congress The All India Trinamool Congress (; AITC), simply known as Trinamool Congress, is an Indian political party that is mainly influential in the Federated state, state of West Bengal. It was founded by Mamata Banerjee on 1 January 1998 as a Lis ...

MLA. from Magrahat West constituency

Giasuddin Molla Giasuddin Molla is the member of the Legislative Assembly from Magrahat Paschim (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in West Bengal. Career In 1997, Mamata Banerjee Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving ...

accused the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

and

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

of fomenting trouble in the state before the panchayat elections. The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed for peace and promised a special investigation into the murder case. Political observers have linked the violence to the forthcoming panchayat elections in the region, where the

and the

were trying to woo Muslim voters in the district.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canning riots, 2013 2013 riots Anti-Hindu riots in India February 2013 crimes in Asia 2010s in West Bengal South 24 Parganas district Politico-Religious violence in West Bengal Persecution of Bengali Hindus Residential building arson attacks in India Riots and civil disorder in West Bengal February 2013 in India 2013 murders in Asia 2013 murders in India Looting in India Arson in 2013 2013 fires in Asia Improvised explosive device bombings in 2013 Improvised explosive device bombings in India

Background

Violence

Aftermath

See also

References