Bengal Clashes: Suvendu Adhikari Demands Compensation for Vandalised Shops

What Triggered the Violence?

On June 11, 2025, a clash erupted near Rabindra Nagar police station in Maheshtala, South 24 Parganas. The incident began over setting up a shop and planting a tulsi sapling near a Shiva temple, sparking stone‑pelting, arson, and widespread vandalism. Around 40 arrests have been made, with accounts highlighting police vehicles and local shops being attacked Political Fallout & Demands

Compensation for Affected Shopkeepers

BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, has strongly condemned the attacks. He has demanded:

• Compensation for shop owners whose properties were vandalised.
• The establishment of a judicial inquiry, preferably led by the Calcutta High Court or NIA.
• Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to contain threats.

He argues the state government failed to protect citizens, with police allegedly acting as “mute spectators”

Judicial & Central Force Involvement

Adhikari has approached the Calcutta High Court, urging it to:

• Permit visits to Maheshtala.
• Directly oversee relief and probe efforts.
• Ensure Central forces are posted—a move similar to those in previous unrests in Murshidabad

Official Response & Security Measures

• West Bengal Police are investigating any “illegal construction” and potential conspiracy behind the clash
• Police imposed Section 163 of BNSS and deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF).
• Around 40 people arrested, including those caught with alleged bomb-making materials
• TMC leaders counter that it was a localized dispute, and that the BJP is politicising the incident
• Assembly proceedings were disrupted after BJP lawmakers staged a walk-out. The governor has since been approached

Broader Communal Tension in Bengal

This incident follows earlier communal flare-ups in Bengal:

• Ram Navami riots, April 2024, Murshidabad.
• Murshidabad violence, April 2025.
  Analysts link these to wider tensions, including encroachment disputes under the pretext of religious