Clashes occurred in at least two pockets of West Bengal on Friday afternoon, as a result of agitations by members of a particular religious community against the newly enacted Waqf Amendment Act.
Clashes broke out in Nimtita and Suti, both in minority-dominated Murshidabad district, after protesters clashed with security personnel. The protesters obstructed railway tracks for hours and caused damage to railway property at Nimtita railway station.
In retaliation, Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff used cane-charging to regain order. Protesters also hurled stones at security personnel, injuring several officers.
To control the situation, Border Security Force (BSF) staff were deployed, and, as per the latest reports, the situation has been brought largely under control.
Likewise, at Sajur Crossing, which comes under the Suti police station in Murshidabad, protests turned into clashes between protesters and state police. Protesters allegedly threw stones and homemade bombs at the police, injuring several policemen and pedestrians. In response, the police used cane charges to drive away the crowd.
More police personnel have been deployed in the area, but tension was still high as of the reporting time.
A similar incident was witnessed in Amtala in the South 24 Parganas district when demonstrators of the Waqf Act assaulted the local police officers. This had created great tension, influencing the flow of traffic on National Highway 117 for some time.
The Champdani episode of Hooghly district paralleled these events. Suvendu Adhikari, opposition leader of the West Bengal assembly, censured this violence as anarchy and lawlessness disguised under the pretensions of some protest by some extremist groups.
"Such dictatorship-prone individuals, who have publicly declared themselves against the Indian Constitution and law of the country, have come onto the streets. Government and private properties are being vandalized without accountability. Public safety is compromised as common people are left to the mercy of such goons," he claimed.
In reaction to the growing situation, the Governor's office, C.V. Ananda Bose, reached out to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to emphasize the necessity of prompt and strong action by the police to manage the unrest.
The Governor subsequently issued a video message, raising concern about reports of people taking the law into their own hands in some areas of the state. He further stated that after receiving intelligence on possible trouble, he had had a confidential meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"Even when the disturbances broke out today, talks were conducted with the government authorities. The Chief Secretary has given assurances that strict action will be taken against the miscreants and that the situation would not be allowed to worsen. The state stands prepared, and action will be initiated against the perpetrators of violence," the Governor assured.
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