Father and son brutally killed in Bengal as Waqf demonstration escalates into violence; 110 arrested

In West Bengal’s Murshidabad, a mob hacked two individuals to death, while another sustained injuries amid new violence on Saturday, just a day following significant unrest during demonstrations against the Waqf Amendment Act. More than 110 individuals have been detained to date, as police operations persist in various sites.

In the midst of the tumultuous protests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that the Waqf Amendment Act will remain unenforced in the state, while the BJP has criticized the Trinamool Congress regarding the unrest and is organizing counter-protests.

In another event, an individual who suffered gunshot wounds in the Samserganj region, died from their injuries. Police officials indicated that their personnel were improbable to be involved in the shooting, implying that it “might have originated from the BSF,” given that central forces had been stationed in the area to manage the unrest.

To date, 118 individuals have been detained linked to the violence, and this number is anticipated to increase as operations persevere, according to Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Jawed Shamim. He encouraged individuals to disregard rumors spreading on social media and to uphold tranquility.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also urged for tranquility and emphasized that the Act would not be enforced in West Bengal. She stated that the law was established by the Centre and that inquiries should be addressed to them.

“My sincere appeal to people of all religions, please remain calm, remain restrained. Do not engage in any irreligious behaviour in the name of religion. Every human life is precious; do not incite riots for the sake of politics,” she tweeted.

The BJP slammed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, urging it to seek assistance from the Centre if it was “incapable” of handling the law and order situation. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari described the unrest as a “premeditated act of violence, an assault on democracy and governance by Jihadist forces,” rather than a protest.

In the meantime, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien alleged that the BJP is “fueling communal tensions in different states” after the Waqf Bill was passed “under the cover of night in Parliament.” In a message on X, he referred to it as a “typical BJP-RSS strategy”. Officials indicated that the situation is currently managed, with the Border Security Force (BSF) helping state police in preserving order. A significant number of security forces has been stationed in sensitive regions, especially near Jangipur, the epicenter of the violence.