Violence broke out in Bengal’s Murshidabad district over the Waqf (Amendment) Act. Chaos erupted in Jangipur as a protest over the passage of the Waqf Bill in Parliament turned violent.
The violence purportedly began when the road along the protest route was blocked. As police came to the spot to clear the road, the clash erupted. At least two vehicles, including a police car, were set on fire. Bullet shots could be heard in the area. However, it is not clear who fired the shots. The protesters also blocked railway tracks and hurled stones at the police. A huge police force has been deployed in the area and several people have been taken in custody. According to the police, several cops were injured in the clash. Police had to fire tear gas to disperse the rioters.
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The BJP claimed the violence was a result of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s policy of “Muslim appeasement”. “The West Bengal Police is struggling to rein in the violent Islamist mob rampaging through the streets of Murshidabad —possibly under instructions from home minister Mamata Banerjee. Her inflammatory speeches have directly contributed to the current unrest,” BJP leader Amit Malviya said. “As a so-called precaution, internet services in the area have been throttled to restrict the flow of information. This is the same region that witnessed repeated attacks on Hindus during the recent Kartik Puja celebrations. Several trains were brought to a standstill as tensions escalated. Mamata Banerjee’s spineless brand of Muslim appeasement is dragging Bengal dangerously close to the path of Bangladesh,” he said in an X post. He also shared a video where the mob could be heard shouting slogans of “sanbidhan manchina, sangbidhan manbo na [I do not accept the Constitution, and I never will]”. Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said that police vehicles where set on fire by a mob.
