BJP slams Mamata for 'vote bank politics' over Murshidabad Waqf protest

Reportedly, during the protest against the controversial Waqf Amendment Act in Murshidabad, violence broke out on Tuesday

The political confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intensified on Tuesday, as the BJP mounted a renewed offensive following reports of violence in Murshidabad.

 

During a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, in Murshidabad, violence broke out on Tuesday. Reports suggest that the protest led to a clash between demonstrators and the police, with instances of stone pelting and police vehicles being torched.

 

BJP accused Mamata of vote bank politics

 

Sharing a video on social media platform X, allegedly showing images of the clashes, West Bengal Legislative Assembly’s Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari accused the state government of “vote bank politics”.

 

 

“Antisocial elements are taking to the streets, burning govt & public properties and spreading chaos in the name of protest. This is not dissent, it’s destruction and is absolutely unconstitutional. The WB govt and administration are failing to maintain law & order, because they are deliberately turning a blind eye to protect the ruling party’s vote bank,” read Adhikari’s post on X.

 

Adhikari asked the state’s Chief Secretary and the Union Home Ministry to send central forces to the area, saying the local police are clearly not able to handle the situation.

 

Amit Malviya, who is in charge of BJP’s IT department and helps manage the party in West Bengal, said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone quiet and is trying to hide the truth.

 

“When violence breaks out in other states, Mamata Banerjee is quick to shed crocodile tears and stage dramatic protests. But when her own vote bank runs riot in Murshidabad, she goes silent – and shuts down internet services to suppress the truth,” Malviya wrote on X.

 

What happened in the Murshidabad protest?

 

Tensions flared on Tuesday in Murshidabad’s Omarpur, under Raghunathganj police station area. Several groups had called for a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, which made significant changes to how Islamic charitable properties are managed. In Murshidabad, about 60 per cent of the population is Muslim.

 

Protest rallies began in the early afternoon from various parts of Raghunathganj town and nearby villages, gradually converging in Omarpur around 3 pm. Anticipating unrest, authorities had deployed a significant police presence in the area to maintain order.

 

Police said the violence started when a few hundred protestors refused to end a road blockade on NH-12, causing traffic problems between north and south Bengal. When the police tried to intervene, clashes broke out.

 

Locals said the police struggled to bring the situation under control until 6 pm, and part of NH-12 remained blocked by protestors. Later in the evening, the state home secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, ordered internet services to be suspended in the entire Jangipur area until 6 pm on April 11.

 

Ananda Roy, the police chief of Jangipur district, said more than 20 people were detained. Several police officers were injured, including a deputy superintendent. Protestors also damaged at least five police vehicles, and two of them were set on fire.