Kolkata, April 19: The National Commission for Women (NCW) team, led by chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, visited riot-affected families in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Saturday.
The delegation assured victims that the Centre would take all necessary steps to ensure their future safety.
Women who suffered during the recent communal clashes, which claimed three lives, shared their distressing experiences and demanded a permanent BSF presence and an NIA probe.
“I am shocked by the pain these women endured,” said Rahatkar, urging them not to lose hope. “The country and the commission stand with you.”
At Betbona village, women broke down in front of the NCW team. Placards read: “We don’t want Lakshmir Bhandar, we want BSF camp” and “We are under attack.”
NCW member Archana Majumdar said the commission would inform Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the demands. BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, accompanying the team, called the violence “unprecedented” in her 12 years in the region.
The NCW also visited Dhulian and a relief camp in Malda, assessing the condition of displaced women. Earlier, the commission had taken suo motu cognisance of the April 11–12 clashes in Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur, which left hundreds homeless.
