BSF came as a saviour for women at riot-hit Murshidabad: NCW chief

Kolkata, April 20: The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel came as a saviour for the women of minority-dominated Murshidabad district of West Bengal, which was on the boil following communal violence and riot-like situation there as protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent, claimed the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya K Rahatkar on Sunday.

Speaking to the media persons, she also clarified that this credit to BSF was given by the women of the affected pockets in Murshidabad district, with whom she, along with an NCW delegation, interacted during the visit in the last couple of days.

Although communal violence broke out in certain pockets in Murshidabad district on April 8, the deployment of BSF was done on April 12 only after a special division bench of Calcutta High Court ordered immediate deployment of central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel at the troubled pockets in the district to bring the situation under control.

The special division bench also observed that had the CAPF deployment been earlier in the area, the situation would not have been so "grave" and "volatile".

On Sunday, Rahatkar told media persons during the visit to the troubled pockets in Murshidabad in the last couple of days, the members of the NCW delegation could feel the prevailing fear and agony of the women there.

"Wherever we went, we found the women shivering with fear and agony. They claimed that their lives were ultimately saved because of the BSF personnel. Their dreams were shattered. The only question that they were asking was why they faced such atrocities without any fault on their part," the NCW chairperson said.

Rahatkar also said that the NCW delegation will give a detailed report to the Union government based on their findings.

On Saturday, while the NCW delegation members visited the different troubled pockets in Murshidabad, the demand for the women in the areas was to set up permanent BSF camps in those pockets.

The NCW delegation members also assured them of taking up the matter with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Meanwhile, the state general secretary of Trinamool Congress, Kunal Ghosh, said that the two central commissions, NCW and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), whose delegations visited Murshidabad, were just serving the purpose of the BJP.

Reader Comments

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Priya M.

So glad to hear BSF could provide protection when needed! Women's safety should always be the top priority in these situations. 👏

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Rahul K.

Why did it take 4 days to deploy BSF though? The High Court was right - earlier intervention could have prevented so much suffering.

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Sunita P.

My heart breaks for these women. No one should have to live in fear like this. Permanent BSF camps sound like a good solution if it helps them feel safe.

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Amit D.

The politicization of this tragedy is disappointing. Can't we just focus on helping the victims instead of scoring political points?

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Neha R.

The bravery of BSF personnel deserves recognition. They're often the first responders in these crisis situations. 🇮🇳

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Karan S.

While I appreciate BSF's work, we need long-term solutions to prevent such violence in the first place. Better community policing and dialogue might help.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.