'Assault on seers' in Purulia: "Appeasement politics has created such environment," says Anurag Thakur

KOLKATA: Lashing out at the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal over the Purulia incident where a group of sadhus (seers) were allegedly thrashed by a mob, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that "appeasement politics has created" such an environment in the state.

Notably, a video went viral on Friday that showed a group of seers being purportedly stripped and assaulted by a mob in the Purulia district.

"Appeasement politics has created such an environment....The question is how Bengal is being driven by this appeasement politics. And why is there such anti-Hindu thinking?" Thakur said speaking to reporters on Saturday.

Claiming that in 2020 a curfew-like situation was created in West Bengal to prevent Hindus from celebrating the foundation stone laying of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Union Minister said, "Now Hindu sadhus were thrashed."

"When the foundation stone of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi (Ayodhya) was laid, a curfew-like situation was created in Bengal so that Hindus were prevented from celebrating the event. Now, Hindu sadhus were thrashed and even attempted to murder. The state government is silent. When media highlighted this issue some investigation was done," Thakur said.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also said that the Purulia incident seems akin to Maharashtra's Palghar incident some years back when some Hindu seers were lynched by a mob during the Uddhav Thackeray government.

"Palghar part two was seen in West Bengal's Purulia. Saints were beaten up brutally and mercilessly by the goons of TMC. Palghar part one took place under Uddhav Thackeray (former Maharashtra CM). Now Palghar part two is taking place under Mamata Banerjee," Poonawalla said.

The BJP spokesperson asked, "Is it a crime to be Hindu in West Bengal?"

"Is it a crime to be Hindu? If today sadhu, saints are being beaten like this in West Bengal, what is the situation of law and order?...This is the shocking state of affairs in West Bengal," Poonawala said.

The viral video showed a group of sadhus (ascetics) purportedly stripped and assaulted by a mob in the Purulia district on Friday.

The Purulia Police, however, said that there was a misunderstanding between three Gangasagar-bound sadhus with three minor girls over a "language problem". The girls got scared and local people, alleging a kidnapping attempt, manhandled the sadhus and damaged their vehicle, police said.