West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday sent out a stern message to the police to be on alert and take immediate action if anybody tries to spread communal discord.
"Some miscreants from outside were responsible for causing turmoil in Dhulagarh and spreading rumours of communal tension in the region. They have also initiated false campaigns in social media. The situation went out of hand as the police was not able to tackle the situation initially. This should not happen," Banerjee said.
"Police has be very careful and alert in these sort of situations. Their duty is to take quick and timely action. Police cannot shake off the responsibility," she said at an administrative meeting in Howrah, referring to the violence and tension in Dhulagarh last December.
Banerjee said the state government is doing the needful for the villagers of Dhulagarh affected during the time of tension.
"The state government is reconstructing the houses that were destroyed. A total compensation of Rs 2.5 crore was given to the affected villagers and more than 250 houses and shops are being rebuilt in Dhulagarh," she said.
The Chief Minister urged the police to increase its visibility in the region and be in constant contact with the local sources to get the first hand information about any discord.
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"Police has to increase their visibility. If you receive any information even from a small source, do not neglect that. Use the green police and civic police forces at your disposal as major sources. They are your asset," Banerjee said while talking to inspectors in-charge of different police stations.
"Police should make a list of the ICDS centres, 100 days work centres and local clubs and should be in regular contact with the clubs to gather all the ground level information," she advised.
Alluding to the recent incidents of attacks on police forces, Banerjee asked the police to operate in such a way that the miscreants are intimidated.
"There is nothing that police cannot do. The miscreants should be alarmed by the presence of police. They should not dare to threaten police at any cost," she added.
--IANS
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