'Cannot move freely': Refugees in Malda camp say they’re cut off from families

Kolkata: Displaced people sheltered at a camp set up on a school premises in West Bengal's Malda district on Friday alleged that they were being kept "confined" and not allowed to leave the campus or communicate with their relatives.

The displaced people, originally from the violence-hit Murshidabad district, fled to Malda seeking safety.

Tensions allegedly escalated at the camp located in Parlalpur High School in Baishnabnagar when police prevented journalists from entering the premises during Governor C V Ananda Bose’s visit, prompting the displaced people to stage a protest.

"We have been confined by police here and cannot move freely," alleged one of the camp inmates.

"We are not allowed to go out or interact with our relatives here. We do not know why the media is not allowed inside when the Governor is here and talking to us. We want the world to know about our talks with him," the inmate alleged.

However, neither the district administration nor police responded when pointed to the allegations of the displaced people.

Bose arrived at the refugee camp on Friday evening, interacted with the displaced families, and assessed the situation, according to sources from Raj Bhavan.

The camp houses several hundreds who fled Murshidabad district fearing for their lives following recent communal unrest.

Earlier, a team from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which took suo motu cognisance of the violence, visited the same camp. The team spoke with affected families and recorded their statements.

The violence, which erupted during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act on April 11 and 12, left three people dead in the Muslim-majority areas of Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian and Jangipur in Murshidabad district.

Paramilitary forces, along with state police, have been deployed in the riot-affected areas of the district, from where 274 people have been arrested so far for their alleged involvement in vandalism and rioting.