Peace centres set up in areas affected by communal violence in West Bengal

Initiative to develop self-help groups with women of both communities for economic empowerment and strengthen the bonds

Civil rights groups have set up peace centres in two places affected byon both sides of river Hooghly. The centres have been set up at Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas, where communal and political violence raged from 2018 to 2021, and in in Hooghly where riots erupted in May 2020. “Our aim is not to only talk about peace but to involve people particularly women from both the communities. At Bhatpara, the focus of the initiative is to develop self-help groups with women of both communities. This will not only help in their economic empowerment but also strengthen the bond between the two communities,” said Subhaprotim Roy Chowdhury, from “AAMRA Ek Sachetan Parayas”, a collective of researchers and activists working on conflict and coexistence studies. At Telinipara on the western banks of Hooghly, where communal riots had erupted at the peak of pandemic during lockdown in May 2020, activists have focused on educating and empowering the women.