West Bengal: Violence Erupts In South 24 Parganas Over Waqf Bill Protest; Police Vehicles Torched

Kolkata: After Murshidabad, Bhangar in south 24 Parganas on Monday faced the heat of protest over WAQF (Amendment) bill.

Five Police motorbikes were torched and a prison van was vandalized after supporters of Indian Secular Front (ISF) and police clashed.

The clash started after police stopped them from going to attend an anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act rally addressed by party MLA Naushad Siddique at Ramlila Maidan in central Kolkata.

According to the protestors, the police had stopped them near Bhojerhat on the Basanti Highway when the clash erupted and stones were pelted on police and a CCTV camera on the road got damaged.

Political clashes started after ISF MLA Nausad Siddiqui claimed that since morning the police tried to stop them from organizing any rally and also that ISF supporters were heckled.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Saukat Molla however, blamed ISF for playing ‘communal’ politics and mentioned that on April 20 TMC will organize a counter ‘peaceful’ rally.

Notably, Bhangar has always been in the headlines over clashes between former TMC MLA Arabul Islam and TMC MLA Saukat Molla. Ahead of several elections infighting within TMC and tension between ISF and TMC were also seen and now protest over WAQF bill once again brought Bhangar in the forefront.

According to a police officer many police personnel got injured during the clash.

Presently, fire tenders were seen dousing the flame and trying to clear the area. A huge contingent of police is deployed at Shonpur in Bhangar where the tension erupted so that no further untoward incident happens.

Taking to X, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya said, “What Mamata Banerjee has unleashed under the pretext of Waqf protests is competitive minoritarianism, with rival Muslim organizations vying to prove they are the greater custodians of Muslim interests. The result is that West Bengal is up in flames. Hindus are suffering, while Mamata Banerjee and the Bengal Police look the other way.”