Hindus flee homes to escape Murshidabad violence in Bengal claiming 3 lives

While 150 people have been arrested so far, according to media reports, several areas of the district continue to remain tense, even on Sunday. The areas affected by violence include Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj, and Jangipur.

Murshidabad has been witnessing massive anti-Waqf protests for the past several days. Photo Courtesy: X page video grab

West Bengal Police have now said that the situation is under control, and prohibitory orders are in place to prevent large gatherings.

Videos from ferry ghats showed hordes of Hindu families, including women, children and elderly, fleeing to the safety of Malda district.

Video footage captured people crossing the river from Dhulian Ferry Ghat in Murshidabad to Parlalpur High School in Kaliachak Block 3 of Malda district.

Among the victims are a father and son who were hacked to death by a violent mob in the remote Jafrabad area of Shamsherganj on Saturday after the village came under attack, police sources told India Today.  Another- a youth- died from a bullet wound, said reports.

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the deployment of central paramilitary forces in Murshidabad to restore order following large-scale communal violence across several districts in West Bengal over the Waqf Amendment Act.

The decision came during a special hearing held on a court holiday, after Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari moved a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent central intervention.

Central forces are being deployed on the order of the court. Photo courtesy: Local Media

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed for peace and said those behind the riots were harming society.

She reiterated that her party does not support the Waqf Amendment Act, implemented by the Centre, after being passed in Parliament.

Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has alleged that more than 400 Hindus have been forced to flee their homes.

"Religious persecution in Bengal is real. Appeasement politics of TMC has emboldened radical elements. Hindus are being hunted, our people are running for their lives in their own land," he has said.

Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose also expressed concern over the violence and welcomed the Calcutta High Court's direction. "I'm glad that the High Court has stepped in and given the appropriate decision at the appropriate time," he said.

Tension broke out in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district on April 8, when stones were hurled at police, and their vehicles were torched.

Earlier, massive protests were held in other parts of the state, including Kolkata, against the contentious changes to Waqf law.

The objective of the Waqf (Amendment) Act is to amend the existing law for regulating and managing Waqf properties.

The violence over the Waqf Amendment Act poses a big challenge for Mamata Banerjee, who is gearing up for Assembly polls next year to return as a fourth-time Chief Minister.

The violence also comes at a time when the state government is facing protests over the job cancellation of 26,000 teachers by the Supreme Court following gross irregularities in the recruitment process.