More than 110 people were arrested in connection with the violence erupted during the protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in the Muslim -majority Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The police gave this information on Saturday.
Violence erupted in Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts on Friday over the new law and several vehicles including police vans were set on fire, security forces were stoned and roads were blocked.
Police said that raids are being conducted in all these districts and more than 110 people have been arrested in Murshidabad.
“About 70 people from Sati and 41 people from Shamsherganj have been arrested in connection with the violence,” said a police official.
Officials said the situation was tense at these places affected by the violence on Saturday morning, but no untoward incident was reported. He said that prohibitory orders have been implemented in the most affected Murshidabad district and internet services have been suspended at the places where violence took place.
“Patrolling in Suti and Shamsherganj areas is going on. No one is allowed to gather anywhere. We will not allow any efforts to disrupt law and order situation,” said an official. He appealed to people not to pay attention to “rumors on social media”.
Meanwhile, the police said that a minor boy injured in a police firing during a clash in Sati has been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata. Among the districts where violence took place, Muslim population is enough.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the Mamta Banerjee government and said that if it is “unable to handle the situation, it should seek help from the Center.
Opposition Leader Shubhendu Adhikari said in a post on ‘X’, “It should be known that it was not just a protest, but a pre -planned act of violence, an attack on democracy and governance by jihadi forces, who want to claim anarchy to claim their dominance and create fear in other communities of our society.”
He said, “Public property was destroyed, government officials were threatened and an atmosphere of fear was created, all this was done under false guise of disagreement. Mamata Banerjee government’s silence is very surprising.”
The official said that the people behind the violence should be identified, they should be arrested and they should be prosecuted under strict sections of the law.
