Kolkata, June 19: A group of eminent Muslims residing in Kolkata on Wednesday wrote a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking action against Muslims involved in criminal activities. Citing two recent incidents in which the accused are Muslims, the group stated that they are "grieved and embarrassed". Political rivals often accuse Mamata Banerjee of doing minority appeasement for political gain.

"We have been deeply concerned with two events that occurred recently – the attack on doctors and the attack on actor Ushoshie Sengupta. The attackers in both instances were members of our community – Muslims. We are grieved and embarrassed," stated the group. Two junior doctors of the NRS Hospital and Medical College were seriously injured after a clash with relatives of a patient who died allegedly due to medical negligence. Doctors' Strike: Mamata Banerjee Meets Protesters, Accepts Proposal to Set Up Grievance Redressal Cell in Govt Hospitals.

In protest, doctors across the state had gone on a strike which had crippled healthcare services for almost a week. On Tuesday, Kolkata-based model-actor Ushoshi Sengupta was allegedly assaulted and harassed by a group of young men. Those allegedly involved in both the incidents are Muslims. In the letter, the group of eminent Muslims called for strict action against all criminals irrespective of their faith.

"There are two ways to address this problem. One, bring the assailants to book, not just in these two instances but every single instance where Muslims are involved. They should not be allowed to get away scot-free because they happened to be Muslims (as is the growing perception). This will send out a message that members of one community are not being shielded or appeased (as most people believe) (sic)," they wrote.

The letter is shared by Mudar Patherya on Facebook:

"Two, it would be good to engage with or encourage interfacing with Muslim youth and their families across Kolkata in the area of gender sensitisation, civic consciousness, law compliance etc. This could require a long-term patience but would be need to be implemented right away (sic)," they added.

The group ended the letter by mentioning the names of some eminent Muslims from Kolkata as well as "thousands of silent sufferers".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2019 09:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).