Murshidabad Communal Violence: The protest against the Waqf Amendment Act turned violent on Friday (April 11, 2025) in Murshidabad, West Bengal. During this, the protesters pelted stones at the policemen and set fire to several vehicles. They also disrupted road-rail traffic. About 10 policemen were injured while controlling the crowd. However, the police say that the situation is under control now.
The Bengal Police told on X that the situation has returned to normal in Suti and Shamsherganj areas. The police have dispersed the crowd and traffic has been restored on the National Highway. Police said that strict action will be taken against those who indulge in violence. Raids are going on to nab the miscreants. Also, legal action will be taken against those who spread rumors. Police have appealed to the people to maintain peace and not pay attention to rumors.
How did the protest turn violent?
A police officer told news agency PTI that after Friday prayers, some people gathered in Shamsherganj and started protesting against the Waqf Act. They blocked National Highway-12. The protest turned violent when some people pelted stones at a police vehicle, leading to a clash between the police and the protesters. On the other hand, protesters in Malda staged a sit-in on the railway tracks, affecting train services. Rail traffic was also disrupted on the Farakka-Azimganj section of Eastern Railway.
What did Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma say?
In this case, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on Twitter that in Assam, where the Muslim population is about 40%, the protests against the Waqf Act remained peaceful. The police was already prepared there, so the situation remained under control. He said that all the communities in Assam are busy preparing for Bohag Bihu.
The Governor of West Bengal made this appeal to the government
West Bengal Governor C.V. Anand Bose has asked the state government to take immediate and strict action against the miscreants in sensitive areas. He said that we had anticipated this, so we had also shared the information with the Chief Minister's Office.
Many trains canceled
After this demonstration, the railways had to cancel many trains. Eastern Railway said on X, "Today (11 April 2025) rail services were disrupted on the Azimganj - New Farakka route of Eastern Railway. At 2:46 pm, about 5000 people sat on the railway track near Dhulianganga station. Due to this, Kamakhya Puri Express and many other trains got stuck on the way. Barharwa-Azimganj passenger train has also been stopped at Ballalpur station as the way ahead is not clear." Railway Police, GRP and local police have reached the spot and are talking to the protesting people."
Railways said that stopping trains in this way causes a lot of trouble to the passengers and also disrupts the timing of the trains.
BSF deployed
According to news agency ANI, BSF DIG and PRO of South Bengal Frontier Niloptal Kumar Pandey said that a large number of people gathered in Jangipur in Murshidabad today to protest against the Waqf Amendment Act. Suddenly the crowd went out of control, due to which the law and order situation deteriorated. BSF immediately took positive steps to control the situation. BSF personnel have been deployed to assist the administration so that peace and normalcy can be restored in the area.
