Murshidabad: Over 110 people were arrested in connection with the violence that broke out in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district during a protest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, police said on Saturday. Tensions erupted in Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts after violence broke over the Waqf Act which came into effect on Tuesday after getting clearance from both Houses of Parliament last week.
Amid the tensions, several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked. Raids were underway in all these districts, with over 110 arrested in Murshidabad, police said. “About 70 people were arrested from Suti, and 41 people from Samserganj in connection with the violence,” a police officer said., as quoted by news agency PTI.
The situation in these violence-hit places remained tense on Saturday morning, but no untoward incident was reported, officials said. In the worst-hit Murshidabad district, prohibitory orders have been imposed and internet services suspended in places that saw violence, they said.
“Patrolling in the Suti and Samserganj areas is going on. Nobody is allowed to regroup anywhere. We will not allow any attempt to disrupt the law and order situation,” an officer said, appealing to the people to not pay heed to “rumours on social media.”
Meanwhile, a teenage boy who was injured allegedly in police firing during the clashes in Suti was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata, police said. The districts that saw violence have significant Muslim populations.
The Centre on Tuesday notified the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which got the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 after its passage from Parliament following heated debates in both houses. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was cleared by the Lok Sabha with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Bureau Report
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