PM condemns assault on woman journalist during Beldanga violence

Malda, Jan 17 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condemned the alleged assault on a female journalist during recent violence in Murshidabad's Beldanga, and appealed to women and youth to take the lead in ending what he described as a climate of fear and intimidation in West Bengal.

Referring to the unrest that erupted in Beldanga following the death of a migrant worker in Jharkhand, Modi alleged that journalists and ordinary citizens were unsafe under the Trinamool Congress government.

"Just yesterday, we saw how a woman journalist was mistreated by TMC goons. Under TMC rule, daughters are not safe even in schools and universities. Victims are forced to run to courts again and again," Modi said while addressing a rally in Malda.

"This must change. And that change will come through your single vote. Your one vote for the lotus will restore Bengal's lost glory. The days of TMC's goondaism are numbered. Their politics of fear will end," he said.

The Prime Minister's remarks came amid heightened political focus on the safety of women, comprising nearly half of West Bengal's electorate and having been a key support base of the TMC through welfare schemes aimed at economic and social empowerment.

The violence in Beldanga was triggered by the death of 36-year-old Alauddin Sheikh, a resident of Sujapur Kumarpur gram panchayat area in Murshidabad, whose body was recovered on Friday from his rented accommodation in Jharkhand, where he worked as a scrap dealer.

Following the incident, tension gripped the area as protesters blocked the Sealdah-Lalgola railway line at Maheshpur and set tyres ablaze on National Highway 12, snapping road and rail connectivity for nearly five-and-a-half hours. Several trains were halted, while hundreds of buses and trucks were stranded.

Clashes broke out when sections of the mob vandalised a traffic kiosk and damaged a police vehicle. Brick batting during the unrest left at least 12 people injured, including journalists and policemen.

A woman journalist of a Bengali news channel was brutally assaulted during the violence, while another sustained serious injuries and was admitted to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, police sources said.

Parties cutting across political lines in West Bengal have condemned the attack on the woman journalist.

Despite assurances from the district administration and appeals for calm from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, tension resurfaced on Saturday following allegations that another migrant worker from Maheshpur in Beldanga was beaten up in Bihar's Ghazipur district.

Security has been stepped up in the area to prevent further escalation, while police said investigations were underway into both the violence and the attacks on journalists. PTI PNT NN