Normalcy Slowly Returns to Murshidabad After Waqf Act Violence
Daily life is gradually resuming in the riot-affected areas of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, with heightened security measures in place to maintain calm following unrest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, authorities reported on Tuesday.
A robust deployment of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), State Armed Police, and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel has been stationed across Jangipur, Dhuliyan, Suti, and Shamsherganj. No fresh incidents of violence have been reported in these areas over the last 48 hours, officials confirmed.
According to the state police, normalcy is steadily returning, evidenced by shops reopening and displaced residents beginning to return to their homes. Khalilur Rahman, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Jangipur, noted that many of those who fled the violence are now coming back, signaling a return to routine in the affected regions. “The state government is extending support to those impacted,” Rahman said, urging the public to resist rumors that could disrupt the restoration of peace.
The district administration is also preparing a list of affected individuals to provide compensation for property damages, Rahman added.
The unrest began last Friday and Saturday in Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur, sparked by protests against the amended Waqf Act. These demonstrations turned violent, resulting in at least three deaths and multiple injuries, according to police reports.
On Monday, a BSF team, led by Additional Director General (East) Ravi Gandhi, visited the hardest-hit areas, including Suti, Samserganj, and Dhulian, in the predominantly Muslim district. Gandhi stated that a coordinated plan with senior police officials has been devised to intensify patrolling. “We are working closely with the state police to ensure normalcy is fully restored,” he said.
Authorities have arrested 210 individuals in connection with the violence, officials reported.
Elsewhere, vehicular movement along the Basanti Highway in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district, returned to normal on Tuesday. The area had seen fresh violence on Monday related to the Waqf Act, where supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) clashed with police, causing injuries, property damage, and the destruction of several police vehicles. The confrontation occurred when police blocked ISF supporters en route to an anti-Waqf Act rally at Ramlila Maidan in central Kolkata, led by ISF leader and Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddique.