BJP MP Demands AFSPA in Bengal's Border Districts Amid Rising Tensions

BJP's Purulia MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to declare certain bordering districts of West Bengal as 'disturbed areas' under AFSPA. He claims rising violence against Hindus, citing recent murders and economic sabotage. Mahato compares the situation to the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.

Jyotirmay Singh Mahato, BJP's Purulia MP, has called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to categorize specific border districts in West Bengal as 'disturbed areas' under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), following a surge in violence against the Hindu community.

In his April 13 letter, Mahato highlighted incidents in districts such as Murshidabad and Malda, pointing to the state's supposed inaction driven by Trinamool Congress' alleged appeasement tactics. The letter also detailed recent attacks, including the murder of civilians and economic disruptions in Murshidabad.

Mahato, likening the unrest to the Kashmiri Pandits' exodus in 1990, urged immediate AFSPA deployment as a preventive measure to ensure communal safety. Concurrently, BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar echoed these concerns, stressing the necessity for rigorous investigations and central force reinforcement in vulnerable zones.

(With inputs from agencies.)