3 killed in anti-Waqf Act protests in Bengal’s Murshidabad

Kolkata: Three persons have been killed on Saturday following the violence over protests by a section of people from a particular religious community against the newly promulgated Waqf Amendment Act that has gripped several parts in minority-dominated Murshidabad district of West Bengal for the last few days.

Of the three killed, two are father and son namely Hargobindo Das and Chandan Das, the residents of Dhulian at Samserganj in Murshidabad.

It is alleged both of them were hacked to death by a section of the protesters.

Amit Malviya, BJP’s Information Technology Cell Chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, uploaded the bodies of the killed father and the son on his official X account and said it was because of the reluctance of the state administration acting against those resorting to such violence in the name of protests.

The third death is of an unidentified minor who was shot at Suti, also in Murshidabad, after getting trapped amid the violence.

The youth and his friend reportedly got trapped amid the violence at the Sajur Crossing at Suti on Friday and were shot.

Both the minors were rushed to a local hospital and finally one of them died at the hospital on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Additional Director General of Police of West Bengal, Javed Shamim, informed media persons that a total of 118 persons have been arrested so far in connection with the violence at Murshidabad.

He cautioned people of attempts to instigate violence through spreading rumours.

Meanwhile, Malviya has accused the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Cabinet colleagues like State Library Services Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury of taking the first initiative to stoke widespread discontent over the Waqf Amendment Act, even when the Joint Parliamentary Committee and the Parliament were still discussing provisions to curb misuse and add safeguards to the new law.

“She has actively instigated and sponsored violence, particularly after Friday prayers. West Bengal’s state Library Minister, Siddiqullah Choudhury, who also heads the state unit of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind — publicly said that a call came from the Chief Minister’s office, saying that she was very happy to see such a gathering,” the BJP leader had claimed.

Earlier on Saturday, the Chief Minister had issued a statement where she for the first time proclaimed “officially”, “directly” and “clearly” that the Waqf Amendment Act will not be implemented in the state.

In the statement, the Chief Minister also argued that since the new Act would not be implemented in West Bengal there was no need for protests against the act getting violent and turning into a riot-like situation in the state.

Reacting to this statement, Malviya claimed that the Chief Minister’s proclamation was utter falsehood.

“The truth is that no state government has the authority to block a law passed by the Indian Parliament. Mamata Banerjee has no choice but to comply. She bears full responsibility for the communal violence and the tragic loss of life that has followed,” Malviya claimed in a statement issued on Saturday.

–IANS