Kolkata:
Several areas in north Bengal’s Murshidabad district are tense in the aftermath of violence during protests against the Waqf Amendment Act. Three people have been killed and 150 arrested in connection with the violence so far.
Here are the top 10 developments from this big story
- Murshidabad is among the areas in Bengal that have erupted in protest after the Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill, which introduces key changes to laws governing the management of Waqf properties across the country.
- Among the affected areas are Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas. State police have now said that the situation is under control and prohibitory orders are in place to prevent large gatherings.
- The Calcutta High Court has ordered the deployment of central forces to keep the peace. The court yesterday said the situation is “grave and volatile”. “Constitutional Courts cannot be a mute spectator and embroil itself in technical defences when the safety and security of the people are at danger,” it said.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed for calm and said those behind the riots were harming society. She said it is the Centre, and not the state government, that has brought the law in question. Ms Banerjee has reiterated that her party does not support the Waqf Amendment Act.
- Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, has alleged that more than 400 Hindus have been forced to flee their homes. “Religious persecution in Bengal is real. Appeasement politics of TMC has emboldened radical elements. Hindus are being hunted, our people are running for their lives in their own land,” he has said.
- Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has expressed concern over the violent and welcomed the Calcutta High Court’s direction. “I’m glad that the High Court has stepped in and given the appropriate decision at the appropriate time,” he has said.
- Violence in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district began on April 8, when stones were thrown at police and some police vehicles set on fire. Earlier, massive protests were held in other parts of the state, including capital Kolkata, against the new law.
- West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar has said that the state government had told the police not to tolerate any hooliganism. He said the protests started with a demonstration, destruction of public property followed and then it took a communal angle.
- Politically, the violence over the Waqf Amendment Act comes as a big challenge for Mamata Banerjee, who is gearing up for an Assembly poll battle next year to clinch a fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister.
- The violence also comes at a time when the state government faces protests by over 26,000 teachers whose appointments have been cancelled by the Supreme Court over gross irregularities in the recruitment process.