Protest against Waqf Act turns violent in Bengal's Murshidabad; cars torched, stones hurled amid clash with police

The situation escalated after police intervened to prevent the protesters from blocking a key road in the area.

Several vehicles were torched, and stones were thrown as chaos erupted in the region.

The protesters also vandalised a police vehicle.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed by both Houses of Parliament last week after marathon debates. The Bill became an Act after it received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday.

The Act came into effect on Tuesday, April 8.

BJP leader Amit Malviya slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government for the clashes in Murshidabad.

"The West Bengal Police is struggling to rein in the violent Islamist mob rampaging through the streets of Murshidabad—possibly under instructions from Home Minister Mamata Banerjee herself. Her inflammatory speeches have directly contributed to the current unrest," he said.

He claimed that internet services in the Jangipur area were "throttled to restrict the flow of information".

"This is the same region that witnessed repeated attacks on Hindus during the recent Kartik Puja celebrations. Several trains were brought to a standstill as tensions escalated," Amit Malviya said.

"Mamata Banerjee’s politics of appeasement will be swept away by the rising tide of Hindu awakening in Bengal," he said.

Supreme Court to hear petitions against Waqf Act on April 16

The Supreme Court will hear a batch of petitions filed against the Waqf Law, which has already come into force, on April 16, media reports said.

However, the government has filed a caveat in the top court, which states that no orders should be passed without hearing its perspective.

So far, 15 petitions have been filed on the contentious bill, which was passed by the Parliament last week.

The bill has faced multiple reservations from the Opposition, and sections of the Muslim community have raised objections on several amendments.

Most of these reservations were raised during the marathon 12-plus hour debate on the bill in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and Thursday last week.