Murshidabad violence linked to Bangladeshi radicals, local leaders: Intel

Bangladeshi radicals, allegedly aided by local leaders of a political party, were "involved" in the recent violence triggered by anti-Waqf law agitations in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, sources said.

Quoting an intelligence report, sources said members of two Bangladesh-based radical outfits -- Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) -- were allegedly involved in the violence in Murshidabad, which left three persons dead.

The violence was carried out by Bangladeshi miscreants, allegedly aided by local leaders of a political party, sources said quoting the report.

The Union home ministry is closely following the situation in Murshidabad, where central forces have been deployed along with the state police to restore peace and maintain law and order, sources said.

The Border Security Force (BSF), which is deployed along the India-Bangladesh border, has also been instructed to keep a strict vigil so that illegal infiltration does not take place in the West Bengal sector, the sources said.

On April 12, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a virtual meeting with the chief secretary and DGP of West Bengal after large-scale violence led to loss of lives in Murshidabad district.

During their talks, the Centre asked the state government to keep a close watch on the other sensitive districts and put in place adequate steps to ensure normalcy at the earliest.

Violent protests erupted on Friday and Saturday in pockets of the district, including Suti, Dhulian and Jangipur, following anger over the amended Waqf Act.

The demonstrations soon escalated into clashes, leaving at least three people dead and several injured.

Personnel of the BSF, CRPF, state police and RAF have been deployed in large numbers in Jangipur, Dhuliyan, Suti and Shamsherganj, where no new incident of violence was reported in the past 48 hours, officials said.

The state police said the situation in the riot-hit parts of Murshidabad is gradually returning to normal, with shops reopening and displaced families starting to return to their homes.