Murshidabad Waqf Protest Violence Was Preplanned: Report

Berhampore: The violence that broke out during the Waqf protest in Murshidabad last month was preplanned and exposed serious administrative lapses, including alleged police inaction, according to a report submitted by a probe committee constituted by the Calcutta high court. The report also alleged the involvement of ruling Trinamul Congress leaders, including Dhuliyan Municipality councillor Mehboob Alam and Samserganj MLA Amirul Islam.

Citing the report, the BJP on Wednesday claimed that the probe committee findings have “exposed” Mamata Banerjee’s TMC as the “real culprits” behind the riots. The party alleged that the “anti-Hindu atrocities” committed under the TMC government have become “clearly evident”. Hitting back, the TMC accused the BJP of indulging in "dirty politics” over Murshidabad violence.

The attacks, which occurred over the Waqf law, resulted in three deaths, including the brutal daylight murders of Harogobinda Das and his son Chandan Das in Dhuliyan’s Zafarabad village. In the Betbona area alone, 113 houses were set on fire, displacing over 500 residents. Many were forced to seek refuge at a relief camp in Parlalpur high school in the neighbouring Malda district.

The report submitted to the high court by the three-member committee n Turn to Page 4

noted that the attacks appeared to be targeted, with homes and shops belonging to Hindu families systematically destroyed.

The main attack occurred on Friday, April 11, after 2.30 pm, when "local councillor Mehboob Alam came with miscreants". Residents of Samserganj, Hizaltala, Shiulitala, Digri came masking their faces, the report said.

"Amirul Islam came, saw which houses were not attacked, and then the attackers set them ablaze... The villagers of Betbona called for help, but the West Bengal police did not respond... The MLA was also present. He saw the vandalism and went away," the report said.

The attackers had cut off the water connection so the fire could not be extinguished.

The report highlights that residents remain fearful and are demanding a permanent BSF camp, expressing little trust in the local police

A three-member special team constituted by the high court recently submitted sealed reports along with digital evidence to the high court. The investigation team comprised members from the National Human Rights Commission, the State Legal Services authority and the judicial services.

Sources indicate that the bench has expressed serious concern and ordered that the investigation continue, with a follow-up report due by July 31.

MLA Amirul Islam is also accused of exacerbating tensions and failing to intervene to protect the villagers. However, both TMC leaders have denied any wrongdoing.

Citing the panel report on the violence that was triggered by anti-Waqf protests last month, the BJP demanded that Ms Banerjee must take action against the concerned TMC leaders and apologise for the "misdeeds" of her party leaders.

Reading out the key points from the report, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "All the attacks were carried out from 2 pm onwards on April 11 under the instructions of local councillor Mehboob Alam, but the police and the administration did nothing… As many as 113 houses were damaged in the violence, forcing people to flee to other locations for safety.”

The BJP leader further added: “If Hindus were selectively killed in Pahalgam, attempts were made in Murshidabad to selectively kill Hindus and destroy their houses. Violence was carried out against the Hindus in a well-planned manner at the behest of TMC leaders.”

Asking the BJP to stop doing dirty politics on Murshidabad violence, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Murshidabad incident was deeply unfortunate and has been unanimously condemned. Following the incident, the chief minister, along with the police and administration, took prompt and necessary action. The perpetrators have been apprehended and the legal process is underway. Compensation is being provided to the families of the deceased and injured, as well as to those who suffered property damage. The government has fulfilled its responsibilities.”

“Another important point is the question of outsiders. Whether individuals from outside the state or across the border were involved is currently under investigation and all such leads are being pursued seriously,” Mr Ghosh added.

The two TMC leaders cited in the probe committee report have denied any wrongdoing. “I wasn’t in Betbona at the time. I was in Nadaf with two Hindu neighbours trying to contact the police. If there's CCTV evidence proving I was present during the violence, I’ll hang myself,” Mr Alam stated defiantly.

Mr Islam also denied the allegations, claiming he was working to pacify protestors during the unrest.

BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay, however, accused Ms Banerjee and minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury of orchestrating the violence, with local leaders simply executing the plan.

Alleging that the Murshidabad riots were “orchestrated” by the TMC to “engineer demographic attrition of Hindus in this sensitive border district,” BJP co-incharge of the state Amit Malviya said, “What makes this report even more significant is its source -- a committee appointed by the Calcutta high court, comprising a member of the NHRC and officials from the West Bengal legal and judicial services. It carries institutional weight and credibility. This entirely demolishes Ms Banerjee’s oft-repeated claim that “outsiders” were responsible.”

Slamming the TMC and the West Bengal government, Union minister and BJP state unit chief Sukanta Mazumdar said the Murshidabad violence report is a “damning indictment of the TMC”.

“Direct role of its (the TMC) MLA and councillor exposed by the high court appointed panel…there were no ‘outsiders’, only insiders who incited hate. Ms Banerjee’s votebank politics has betrayed Bengal’s soul,” said Mr Majumdar.