Kolkata, Apr 17 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged Governor C V Ananda Bose to defer his proposed visit to violence-hit Murshidabad district, stating that the situation was gradually returning to normal and confidence-building measures were underway.

Her appeal came amid the governor’s plans to visit Murshidabad on Friday to take stock of the situation following last week’s communal clashes in the Muslim-majority district that claimed at least three lives and left several others injured.

“I would request non-locals not to visit Murshidabad right now,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat Nabanna.

“I would appeal to the governor to wait for a few more days as confidence-building measures are underway. The situation is normalising,” she said.

The chief minister said she herself has decided against visiting the affected areas at present to avoid triggering political one-upmanship.

“I could have gone there, but then others would have also said they would visit but the situation is not conducive now. An SIT has been formed to investigate the unrest in Murshidabad. I will visit the district at an appropriate time.

“The state government will rebuild the houses of the victims. The administration is trying to restore the confidence of the people of Murshidabad. I would request the governor not to visit the riot-hit district now,” Banerjee said.

Governor Bose, however, said he intends to visit the district to make an objective assessment of the ground situation.

“I will certainly visit Murshidabad. I will go to the field to see for myself the realities. I will have an objective view of the matter. The situation has been brought under control. We should take further steps to prevent similar occurrences in future. People from the area have requested for a BSF camp there,” he told reporters here after meeting some of the victims of violence in Kolkata.

Banerjee, meanwhile, slammed the Centre over the extension of the BSF’s jurisdiction in border areas, stating that the move has weakened the coordination between central and state agencies.

“Earlier, areas from 15 km of the border were under the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF). Now, that has been extended to 50 km by the Union home minister.

“Previously, we used to have access to information about people who were coming to the state from other countries and the purpose of their visit. But now, the MHA under the current Union home minister doesn’t share such data or even allow our police to gather it,” she said.

“The BSF monitors the border, CISF the land port. Why are we being dragged into all this?” she asked, on reports about the involvement of elements from across the border in the violence.

Appealing to people to maintain peace, the TMC supremo said some political elements were trying to exploit the situation ahead of elections due next year.

“Some criminals are used to incite riots. These days, a lot can be done with money. At such times, some political leaders go out fishing in troubled waters. I want my country and state to remain peaceful. There’s no need for rallies or meetings right now,” she said.

Banerjee said such “sinister plots” are always at play when an election approaches.

“This is not the time or place for politics. When elections approach, this kind of game begins a year in advance — using agencies to stir the pot. I already revealed the name of the person responsible for this yesterday. I care about the people, not about anyone else,” Banerjee said.

Dismissing many of the reports from Murshidabad as “fake”, the chief minister alleged that the BJP was using its IT cell to spread misinformation.

“BJP has a lot of agencies working with their money. We also have an IT cell, but it’s very weak — it doesn’t have such power. BJP’s IT cell is obsessed with West Bengal — 99 per cent of the news they spread is fake,” she claimed.

On Waqf protests, she said, “Let everyone across all states live in peace. Have faith in the law. Peaceful protests are always possible. First, see what the court has to say.” A large number of police personnel, along with central paramilitary forces, have been deployed in Murshidabad to bring the situation under control. PTI PNT ACD