West Bengal Ram Navmi Violence: NIA Arrests 16 Accused From Uttar Dinajpur in Huge Crackdown

Kolkata: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested 16 accused in the West Bengal Ram Navami violence case for their alleged involvement in the violent incidents in the state during the Ram Navami celebration in March 2023. The accused persons were arrested for conspiring and carrying out communal attacks during a religious procession on the occasion of Ram Navami. The alleged incident took place on March 30, 2023, while a procession was being carried out by devotees on  in the Dalkhola area of West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district. 

According to the NIA, the arrests were made on the basis of revelations that came to light during the probe, and the identification of the accused from video footage of the violence seized in the course of the investigations.

Investigation of 6 cases related to the Ram Navami violence is being carried out by the NIA

The accused have been identified as Afroj Alam, Md Ashraf, Md Imtiaz Alam, Irfan, Alam, Kaiser, Md Farid Alam, Md Furkan Alam, Md Pappu, Md Suleman, Md Sarjan, Md Nurul Hoda, Wasim Arya, Md Salahuddin, Md Jannath, Wasim Akram, and Md Tanweer Alam, all residents of Dalkhola.

In a statement issued by the NIA, the agency said that the incident had taken place on March 30, 2023 during a procession to celebrate Ram Navami in Dalkhola of Uttar Dinajpur. “The accused were among the perpetrators of the attack on members of a particular community participating in the procession,” the probe agency stated. 

“The State police had initially registered a case against 162 persons in the wake of the communal violence triggered by the attack at Tajamul Chawk, Uttar Dalkhola. Subsequently, the High Court of Calcutta, on April 27, 2023, ordered the transfer of cases related to communal riots during Ram Navami celebrations to the National Investigation Agency. Accordingly, NIA took up investigation of 6 such cases, including the instant case,” the agency further added.

Further investigation into the matter is being carried out by the NIA.