The prevailing stereotype of West Bengal is that it blends high culture and radical instincts with a disdain for hard work and money. Between the collapse of Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation movement till the horrible Direct Action Day and the subsequent Noakhali riots, communal conflict was endemic in West Bengal. But the reason why the Basirhat-Baduria riots appear to have unnerved the political establishment in West Bengal is a little different. What was unique in the ugly incidents of Basirhat and Baduria was the emergence of tit-for-tat violence - a phenomenon hitherto not seen in West Bengal. After 1947, the Muslim community of West Bengal had taken a backseat in politics, having been orphaned by the Muslim League.

Source: The Telegraph July 12, 2017 17:43 UTC