West Bengal: Police officer trying to forcefully convert Hindus to Islam accused by locals in Malda, women stage protest
"The Inspector in Charge of Kaliachak Thana has ordered us to convert to Islam. He is using various pressure tactics to ensure that we become Muslims. We do not want to change our religion," read one banner
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| Posters in Malda, protesting Hindu women, images via Facebook |
A group of Hindu women in Malda in West Bengal have accused the Inspector-in-Charge of a local police station of forcibly trying to convert them and their husbands to Islam. The incident took place in Kaliachak town in Malda district of West Bengal.
The matter came to light after a video of a female BJP worker, narrating the ordeal of the said women, went viral on social media. In the undated video, the BJP worker informed that several posters had come up near the post office in the Englishbazar area of the Malda district. The protesting women were seen holding several placards saying that the police officer is forcing them to convert to Islam. They had also hung several banners behind them in front of Malda post office saying that they will resist this and will not change their religion.
She pointed out that a demonstration was being carried out by three Hindu women, whose husbands were incarcerated by the police. “I salute them for their courage… They are protesting by themselves in the middle of the city. We have not given them as much attention as they deserve,” she remarked.
“Their firm resolve to not convert, despite mounting pressure, is a sign of bravery,” the BJP worker was heard as saying. She directed the camera towards a few saffron posters, which encapsulated the objective behind the demonstration carried out by the 3 women.
“If we don’t listen to him, then, he will continue to intimidate, arrest and harass us,” read another banner. The BJP worker had expressed fear that the State of West Bengal might soon turn into Bangladesh. She has also accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of complicity in allowing illegal immigration from Bangladesh.
The Kaliachak area in Malda has been a hotbed of communal tensions in the past. In January 2016, frenzied Muslim mobs went into on carnage and attacked the police and the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. They torched several vehicles and injured several uniformed officers over remarks made by deceased Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari.