The Calcutta High Court on Saturday ordered the deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, after three persons died in communal clashes and violent protests over the newly enacted Waqf law.
At a hearing on Saturday (a court holiday), the Division Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury observed that the court could not sit with its eyes closed in such situations and that Central forces would work in coordination with the West Bengal Police to restore normalcy in the State.
BJP leader moves court
Earlier in the day, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari moved the High Court seeking the deployment of Central forces and appealed for restoration of normalcy in the State, following protests against the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in Parliament.
“It’s a slap to the Mamata government. It’s a big slap to [Director General of West Bengal Police] Rajeev Kumar, who is loyal to Mamata Banerjee,” Mr. Adhikari said after the order was passed.
He said the BJP wanted to protect the people and preserve the peace of the State, and hence sought the deployment of Central forces.
On Saturday, a senior police official confirmed to The Hindu that two people had lost their lives in the communal violence in Murshidabad, and one person had died from injuries sustained during a firing at the district’s Suti area.
Currently, at least six companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed in Murshidabad, along with a large number of police personnel.
118 arrested
At least 118 people were arrested in connection with the arson, destruction of public property and mob violence that unfolded at Suti and Shamsherganj in Murshidabad on Friday evening, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Javed Shamim said on Saturday.
Internet services have been suspended and Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita has been imposed in the region.
This incident comes on the heels of the mob violence and arson in Murshidabad’s Jangipur area on April 8 over the Waqf law, leading to the arrest of at least 22 people.
Published – April 12, 2025 10:39 pm IST