From our Special Correspondent

SILCHAR, July 3: BJP and other saffron outfits which include, Hindu Milan Mancha, VHP, BJYM, Mahila Morcha as well as Gairik Bharat have come out in support of the dawn to dusk Barak Valley bandh on Wednesday called by Hindu Jagaran Mancha. Justifying its support for the bandh, a spokesperson of the party said while the assault on Rumi Nath, MLA, in a Karimganj hotel was most unfortunate, it was also true that there was limit to everything, more particularly in respect of a people’s representative. He pointed out it was really surprising that even after hurting the feelings and sentiments of her first husband Rakesh Kumar Singh, parents, ditching her two year daughter and playing with the emotions of Hindus, how people should come out in support of her.

The forces or elements which came out on the streets of Barak Valley in support of Rumi Nath have been dubbed as anti-social elements and their flexing of muscles demonstrated in blockades and barricades on roads and highways as ominous and cause of concern, the spokesperson pointed out. The common people, particularly the commuters of short and long distance, have been subjected to untold mental and physical agony. The role of the administration has also come in for severe criticism for its partisan role, targeting the Hindus for the disturbances in which they have no hands. It is against the rise of such forces, harassment of common people for no fault of their own and the discriminatory role of the State and the administration that the party has extended its unqualified support to the bandh.

Prosenjit Bhattacharya, convenor of the media cell of Cachar district committee of BJP, in a statement blamed the State and the Congress as well as the administration for their indifferent and callous attitude towards the highly volatile and sensitive Rumi affair which has resulted, as he said, in an atmosphere of mistrust, misgiving and confrontation. He wondered why despite all the cases filed against Rumi Nath with non-bailable sections was not being arrested by the police. He deprecated the attitude and approach of Congress for maintaining total silence on the issue, knowing fully well that Rumi Nath by her conduct and behaviour had hurt the Hindu sentiments. On the contrary, the party and its leadership have by their inaction encouraged Rumi Nath to become more desperate.

Hindu Milan Mancha while supporting the bandh however maintained that it was the ploy of anti Barak lobby at Dispur to create an atmosphere of unrest in the valley in order to divert the attention of the people from the crucial issues of BG and East-West Corridor, besides other problems faced by aam admi. This was the reaction expressed by the members of Mancha who included Tulsi Prasad Bhattacharya and Rabi Dev.

According to them, Rumi was not an issue at all, but the way as MLA she behaved herself in public to marry a Muslim boy and embraced Islam without divorcing her first husband could hardly be ignored. Moreover, after embracing Islam, she asserted in the temple of Nrimata in her Borkhola constituency that she had not married Jacky. This assertion was made by her in the presence of Rakesh Kumar Singh. It was an act of sacrilege. Even then, the State Government allowed Rumi to stay with Jacky in the MLA hostel. The case for defiling the Hindu temple was lodged against her, but the police refused to act. The Mancha leaders asked is the MLA above law.

The Mancha leaders felt Rumi had hurt the sentiments of both Hindus and Muslims. She contradicted herself on conversion. She prayed to both Lord Jagannath and Allah at the same time for being alive after the dastardly attack on her in Karimganj. They quoted Moulana Chharimul Haque who said that according to Shariat, a Muslim could not marry a pregnant woman. This was also the opinion of Nadwatut Tamire and Jamaat-e-Islam. It was clear that Rumi had hurt Muslim sentiments also. They reiterated all this was the conspiracy of anti Barak lobby which wanted to create rift between the Hindus and the Muslims. Hindu Milan Mancha would never support assault on a woman. But, for what happened, the responsibility lay with Rumi and Dispur.

Gairik Bharat would mobilize all its resources to make the bandh total and successful. It demanded the immediate and unconditional release of five persons arrested by the police in connection with the assault on Rumi Nath. Mani Bhushan Choudhury, president of the front, also pressed for the release of two innocent boys, their members, Raju Dasgupta and Raju Kar, arrested on the ground of their being involved in Hailakandi disturbances which he said was totally false and fabricated. Gairik Bharat came down heavily on Gautam Roy, Minister of PHE, for his anti-Hindu stance and for toeing Muslim appeasement policy.

According to reports from different parts of the valley, peace and normalcy are fast returning in the troubled areas of Karimganj and Hailakandi. Significantly, peace committee formed at Badarpur, the railway township, has come out against the bandh and is determined to oppose it. Nadwatut Tamire of Northeast has also decried the bandh culture and appealed to the sponsors to rethink over it. Considering the bandh, the district administration of the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi has alerted the security forces to foil any attempt to disturb peace and tranquility across Barak Valley.