Two people were hacked to death by a mob, while another person sustained injuries in West Bengal's Murshidabad amid fresh violence on Saturday, a day after widespread unrest during protests against the Waqf Amendment Act. Over 110 people have been arrested so far, with police raids continuing across multiple locations.
Amid the violent protests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the Waqf Amendment Act would not be enforced in the state, while the BJP has targeted the Trinamool Congress over the violence, also holding counter-protests.
A father and son were hacked to death by a violent mob in the remote Jafrabad area after the village came under attack, police sources said on Saturday.
In a separate incident, one person who sustained bullet injuries in the Samserganj area, succumbed to injuries. Police officials said their personnel were unlikely to be involved in the firing, suggesting that it “could possibly have come from the BSF,” as central forces had been deployed in the area to control the unrest.
So far, 118 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, and the number is expected to rise as raids continue, said Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Jawed Shamim. He urged people not to believe rumours circulating on social media and to maintain peace.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also appealed for calm and reiterated that the Act would not be implemented in West Bengal. She said the law was enacted by the Centre, and that questions should be directed to them.
"My sincere appeal to people of all religions, please remain calm, remain restrained. Do not engage in any irreligious behaviour in the name of religion. Every human life is precious; do not incite riots for the sake of politics,” she tweeted.
On Friday, widespread violence erupted across Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly districts during protests against the new legislation. Several vehicles, including police vans, were set ablaze, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked.
The BJP slammed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, urging it to seek assistance from the Centre if it was "incapable" of handling the law and order situation. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari described the unrest as a “premeditated act of violence, an assault on democracy and governance by Jihadist forces,” rather than a protest.
On Saturday, Adhikari demanded that the investigation be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which probes terrorism-related cases. He also wrote to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, drawing attention to incidents of vandalism at railway stations during the unrest.
BJP's West Bengal unit president Sukanta Majumdar alleged that internet and communication services had been suspended in the affected areas, leaving victims of the violence unable to share their grievances.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien accused the BJP of “stoking the fires of communalism across various states” following the passage of the Waqf Bill “in the dead of night in Parliament.” In a post on X, he called it a “classic BJP-RSS playbook”.
Authorities said the situation is now under control, with the Border Security Force (BSF) assisting state police in maintaining order. A large contingent of security personnel has been deployed in sensitive areas, particularly around Jangipur, which the centre of violence.
Source: India Today