Violence erupts in Murshidabad during protest against Waqf Act; police car torched, internet suspended

Violence erupted in West Bengal's Murshidabad during a protest on Friday, April 11 against the Waqf Act, with reports of a police van and several other vehicles being set on fire. Internet has been suspended in the district following violent protests and the authorities have also deployed police force in violence-hit areas. The office of a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was also reportedly ransacked amid the unrest.

Earlier in the day, dozens of protesters blocked the National Highway 12 near Dhulian under Jangipur subdivision but as the police intervened, the protesters allegedly pelted stones at them and other vehicles, prompting the police to resort to lathicharge.

“As policemen tried to lift the blockade, stones were pelted at them. The protesters set fire to a police jeep and a motorbike in the area. Other vehicles were ransacked and stones were pelted at the trucks stranded on the NH,” a police officer was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

A similar protest in Murshidabad had turned violent on Tuesday, April 8, when a mob attacked police with stones and set some vehicles on fire. At least 22 persons were arrested in connection with the violence.

Multiple protests against the amended Waqf Act have been reported across West Bengal. A Muslim organisation in Siliguri protested against the law and students from the Aliah University also held a demonstration in Kolkata. Also Read | Waqf Bill passed in Lok Sabha: A complete guide to controversy, amendments, and NDA vs INDIA showdown

“The (Waqf) Act you have introduced is not needed by us, nor by the Muslim community, nor by the country. You should take this (Waqf) Act back. This Waqf Act is being imposed on us unnecessarily. There was no need for it. In our country, millions of people are unemployed, we need hospitals, we need medical facilities. Our young generation needs jobs, but you are not working on these issues,” a protester in Siliguri demonstration said.

In view of the violence in Murshidabad, security has been tightened at Jharkhand-West Bengal border.