Ever since the ruling TMC government under Mamata Banerjee opted for high octane Muslim appeasing in West Bengal, the border districts of Bengal are reeling under tremendous communal sting. The very recent Malda riots is a testimony to the ground reality in the state which has previously witnessed Khagragarh blast, communal ruckus over Taslima Nasreen's book and even riots in the aftermath of the Babri Mosque demolition in early 90's. The impact of Kaliachak riots, a locality which is barely 23 km south west of Malda town in West Bengal, is considered to be a pivotal one, considering the proximity of the region to Bangladesh and Nepal borders.

The whole drama began when a section of the local Muslims started agitating against Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari's hate speech and demanded death sentence for him. Kamlesh Tiwari had in some course of speech somewhere in UP said that Prophet Mohammed is homosexual. Since then there have been agitations all over the country and Muslim dominated Malda has witnessed some serious violence. On January 3^rd this year, two Muslim organizations namely Idara-e-Shariya and Anjuman Ahle Sunnatul Jamat organized a protest rally in Kaliachak locality near Malda town.

According to local eyewitness account, around 2 lakh Muslims assembled in the protest rally. The situation soon took a violent turn and local police forces weren't equipped enough to take control of the angry mob. A North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus was set on fire and the passengers were forced to jump out from the burning bus. The National Highway (NH-34) was blocked from all sides. More than two dozen police vehicles, including one that belonged to BSF were set on fire and huge green flags were seen being carried by the angry mob. The Kaliachak police station was completely vandalized and set on fire as well. The entire area witnessed complete lawlessness. The railway tracks at Khaltipur railway station were blocked. 30 people including several police officers were seriously injured in the ongoing tussle with the hooligans. As riots broke out, Hindu temples were vandalized and local Hindu houses were ransacked by the motivated mob. It is alleged that the local police remained inactive, mere spectators to such miscreants initially. Later RAF took charge and section 144 was imposed.RSS activist Gopal Tiwari was injured in the firing. Only 10 people associated with this entire episode have been arrested so far. Although at present 120 army personnel have been brought in as part of additional security management, the situation is extremely grim and religious polarization is easily evident.

The role of the local government has been dicey to say the least; first and foremost, there was a deliberate attempt on part of the government authorities to black out the heinous incident. Barring a few media organizations, this motivated mob violence was neither covered in print nor television. It was only after local BJP leaders and social media enthusiasts called for investigation from the central government, mainstream media houses highlighted the incident. The same media which had been extremely pro active and provocative in Dadri lynching and Award wapsi episode have been uncharacteristically tightlipped during the Malda riots.

 There are certain other issues which also need to be carefully looked upon. How and why did the local police authorities allow those religious organizations to opt for such violent agitations is something not known yet. The strong anti-Hindu sentiment in the bordering districts of Bengal is quite evident now. Be it TMC, Congress or CPI (M), all are equally culpable in encouraging the divisive communal forces for getting maximum political dividends. Especially the ruling party which has been a mastermind in cultivating such communal experiments and indulging in minority appeasing on one side and polarizing the rest of the population at the same time. The law and order situation of the bordering districts like Malda, Murshidabad, East and West Dinajpur is a matter of acute worry and should acquire national focus. The Khagragarh incident reflected the prominent presence of the notorious Bangladesh fundamentalist group Jamat and JMB influence in the border areas and this incident has further established the suspicion. There has been an added speculation that neighbouring localities like Baliadanga, Mothabari, Danga, Kaliachak and Mohabbatpur have become true epicenters of anti-India activities and hardcore Islamist ideology has taken root. There is no denying that the Malda riots have been carefully orchestrated by the communal Islamist organizations, with indirect aid from state government authorities.

At present the Hindu families in various localities in Malda have become refugees. They have lost their livelihood. Even though the state government has assured of transparent investigation of the whole matter, the local people are not at all confident of the transparency of such investigation. The tide of forceful conversion to Islam, illegal Sharia laws in vogue in day to day village activities, weakening of the Indian economy through circulation of fake currency notes and incessant infiltration – the bordering districts of Bengal have reached their nadir in post-independence India. And Kaliachak isn't a sole exception. Similar incidents of organized mob violence have also been seen in Bihar's Purnia.

The non-organic and rapidly changing demography of the bordering districts like Malda, Murshidabad etc is a serious area of concern. Prior to 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war, India witnessed huge influx of Hindu refugees in the bordering districts of Bengal. Over the years, especially in the last two decades, there has been illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi Muslims in bordering districts of Bengal, which is true for Assam also. The last census report has also pointed out to the change in demography. Whether the ploy is to form a 'greater Bangladesh' or 'greater Banglastan', the callousness of Muslim appeasing state government has been most frustrating. One can only hope Malda communal experiment doesn’t become a successful model for all divisive Islamist forces in India.