The Imam of Rishra Jama Masjid, Maulana Mohammad Zakir Noori, has said Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose would have done better if he had visited all the trouble-torn pockets of Rishra and spoken to members of different communities during his Tuesday visit to the industrial township in Hooghly.

"Ideally, the governor would have done better if he had visited all the locations and spoken to representatives from across communities, instead of restricting himself to just two spots in Rishra," Imam Noori told The Telegraph on Wednesday.

"This would have helped in addressing the sense of bitterness among the masses.... People have a lot of expectations from the governor of a state," he added.

On Tuesday, Bose had reached Rishra, cutting short his G20 summit presence in Darjeeling, and gone to rail gate number 4, the site of a street clash on Monday night that brought suburban train service on the Howrah-Rishra route to a halt.

The governor spoke to police and other officials at the rail gate before moving to Rishra railway station where he engaged with railway and police officials and briefly interacted with a few youths before returning to Calcutta.

Several pockets of Rishra, including Shandya Bazar, some areas around Hastings Jute Mill, Wellington Jute Mill, Provash Nagar and Shokal Bazar had erupted during Sunday’s violence that is believed to have started from a spot near Rishra Jama Masjid adjoining Wellington Jute Mill.

Cars, police vehicles and carts were damaged. The glass panes of several houses were shattered in the clashes.

“Around the time the violence broke out, some members of our community were busy with namaz. I won’t be able to say what led to the clash but allegations about stones being pelted from the mosque are completely false,” Imam Noori said. “The entire area, including the mosque, is covered by CCTV and the police and district administration can access it and see for themselves.”

“What happened is unprecedented. I would appeal to everyone, including political leaders, to ensure that peace returns as early as possible. If required, I can participate in any meeting aimed at restoring normality,” he added.

The police have banned Human Jayanti processions on Thursday across Rishra and clamped Section 144 in most parts of the township that continued to remain on the edge on Wednesday. A few schools and some shops opened during the day but most were shut.

Police pickets were in place in most parts of the violence-hit areas even as a majority of the residents chose to stay indoors.

“I firmly believe that the majority in society should extend its hand towards the minority. Agar woh log aagey nahin baregi toh samaj kahan jayega (If they don’t come forward, where will society be headed)?” Imam Noori asked. “The majority should decide how the two groups should join hands and stay together in love and peace. Bade logo ko hamesha aagey baarna chahiye (The bigger group should always step forward).”