HOWRAH
Mohammad Ainul (45) and Aurangzeb (34) rummaged through a pile of debris that was once their shop in Panchala Bazar on Monday afternoon. Both of them fruit vendors, travel from Bauria in the district to the busy Panchla market and make a living by selling fruits. “There is nothing left here. Who do we blame for this, Muslims or Hindus? Both are responsible for this,” Aurangzeb said. Ainul said that when the mob came rushing towards the shops from Panchla crossing, all the shopkeepers - both Hindus and Muslims - ran for their lives. “I covered my stall which had all kinds of fruits, apples, mangoes and pomegranate. See, everything has been turned to ashes,” Ainul said.
An uneasy calm prevails over Panchla Bazar, where violence had erupted on Saturday. Almost all the shops have downed their shutters. Several shops in the market have been set on fire. Panchla Bazar has shops of both Hindus and Muslims, which is clear from boards and signages on them.
