Summary
- Over 10,000 people gathered in Murshidabad; violence left 3 dead and dozens injured.
- Police report details mob attacks with iron rods, hasuas, and the snatching of a loaded Glock pistol.
- Calcutta High Court deploys Central forces and directs the Bengal government to rehabilitate displaced families.
Murshidabad in Flames: What the Waqf Violence Signals for Bengal
What began as a simmering protest against the Waqf Amendment Act has now erupted into one of West Bengal’s worst episodes of communal unrest in recent years. A confidential 34-page report, accessed by NDTV, paints a vivid picture of lawlessness, mob fury, and alleged state unpreparedness in the Jangipur subdivision of Murshidabad. At its peak, 10,000 protestors had gathered, armed with iron rods, sickles, and wooden staves. In a shocking turn, a senior police officer’s loaded Glock pistol was snatched during the chaos.
The violence, which began on April 11, has already claimed three lives, left scores injured, and triggered mass displacements in Hindu-dominated pockets like Ghoshpara and Jafrabad. The Calcutta High Court has since stepped in, directing the deployment of Central forces, and instructing the state to form a rehabilitation team for those forced to flee.
The underlying question: Is this just communal rage, or is it a systemic failure tied to a lack of clarity and communication around the Waqf Amendment?
2.
— Manisha Singh (@ManiYogini) April 15, 2025
Murshidabad, West Bengal.
Thousands of radicals blocked railway lines, ransacked shops, and pelted stones.
Why?
Because the Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill to regulate religious land holdings pic.twitter.com/8mkVzB94Px
A Timeline of Escalation: From Protest to Anarchy
- Protests began on April 4; violence erupted on April 11.
- Crowd of 10,000 assembled at PWD ground; 5,000 marched to Umarpur and blocked the highway.
- Police were attacked with bricks, iron rods, sickles (hasua); rubber bullets and tear gas were fired.
- Two people were killed near Jafrabad on April 12; 60 FIRs have been filed.
The situation in Murshidabad escalated rapidly. What started as a protest soon morphed into an open battle. Police tried to control the crowd with tear gas, stun shells, and even fired 142 rounds of rubber bullets. But the crowd’s aggression overwhelmed them. The Glock pistol loaded with 10 bullets, snatched from a Sub-Divisional Police Officer, remains a chilling reminder of how close the situation came to complete breakdown.
On April 12, violence spilled into communal territory. An angry mob targeted Hindu homes near Kanchantala Masjid, and two men were reportedly killed in nearby Jafrabad. Police reinforcements managed to contain further bloodshed, but the sense of security had already crumbled.
What the Court Said: Orders, Warnings, and Responsibility
- Calcutta High Court ordered Central forces to remain deployed in Murshidabad.
- Urged all parties to refrain from provocative speeches.
- Directed Bengal government to create a team for rehabilitation of displaced families.
Reacting swiftly to the violence, a division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury laid out a dual-track response: enforcement and healing. Central forces are to maintain law and order while a state-appointed team is tasked with restoring homes, livelihoods, and community trust.
The judiciary’s intervention indicates not just concern over the scale of violence, but also skepticism about the state government’s ability to manage the fallout. Political commentators suggest the ruling Trinamool Congress is caught in a double bind: address the law and order crisis without alienating core minority voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The Roots of the Unrest: What’s Really Fueling the Anger?
- The Waqf Amendment Act introduced by the state government in early 2025 has become a lightning rod for controversy.
- Opposition leaders claim the Act enables land acquisition without sufficient public notice or consent, especially impacting marginalized Hindu and tribal communities.
- Muslim protestors, ironically, see it as an attempt to centralize control and limit local waqf board autonomy.
The protests have exposed a rare moment of convergence—albeit a violent one—between two opposing anxieties: Hindus fearing land encroachment and Muslims fearing loss of institutional autonomy. Both communities now claim the Waqf Act changes were rushed, opaque, and politically motivated.
This dual dissatisfaction, coupled with inflammatory local politics and inadequate police presence, created a volatile cocktail. In Murshidabad, which borders Bangladesh and has a complex demographic profile, even a minor misstep by the administration can ignite widespread unrest.
After the Fire: Will Bengal Course-Correct?
The Murshidabad episode is more than just a law-and-order failure; it is a crisis of governance and trust. With the Glock pistol still missing, families still displaced, and political rhetoric heating up, the road ahead will demand more than firefighting. It will require:
- A transparent audit of how the Waqf Amendment was implemented.
- Community-level dialogue and mediation before further reforms are introduced.
- Deployment of permanent law enforcement outposts in high-risk border areas.
- Strict media monitoring to curb hate speech and fake news propagation.
This incident could mark a turning point in Bengal’s communal politics, or it could spiral into a cycle of retaliation and suppression if not handled with nuance and resolve.
