A year after violence broke out in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on the occassion of Ram Navmi, NIA has arrested 16 Muslims for their alleged involvement in the violence.
The Central agency has pressed charges of ‘conspiring and carrying out communal attack’ against the arrested men.
In a press statement issued on Monday, February 26, NIA said the arrests were made on the basis of video evidence against the accused showing their involvement in the violence that broke out on March 30, 2023.
The arrested accused have been identified as Afroj Alam, Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Imtiaz Alam, Irfan Alam, Kaiser, Mohammad Farid Alam, Mohammad Furkan Alam, Mohammad Pappu, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Sarjan, Mohammad Nurul Hoda alias “Nanua”, Wasim Arya, Mohammad Salahuddin, Mohammad Jannath Alam, Wasim Akram alias “Vicky”, and Mohammad Tanweer Alam – all residents of Dalkhola.
On April 27, 2023, the Calcutta High court handed over the cases related to violence in West Bengal to NIA. In total, six such cases were transferred to the Central agency.
Violence against Muslims was reported in at least eight states on the occassion of Ram Navmi last year. The Central agency and state police departments have faced criticism for framing Muslims in cases of violence despite them being the primary targets.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders praised the NIA for the arrests.
