The statement was made during a hearing of a petition filed by Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who alleged that bomb blasts occurred during communal riots in Murshidabad, a district with a Muslim-majority population.
Kolkata, April 17– The West Bengal government told the Calcutta High Court on Thursday that the law and order situation in Murshidabad, which was affected by recent violence, is “under control”.
The statement was made during a hearing of a petition filed by Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who alleged that bomb blasts occurred during communal riots in Murshidabad, a district with a Muslim-majority population.
Adhikari urged the court to hand over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a more thorough and neutral probe.
During the hearing, the West Bengal government informed the division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury that the police and district administration have taken “adequate steps“ to control and prevent further violence in the region.
In another important submission, the lawyer representing the Central Government requested the court to extend the deployment of central forces in Murshidabad. The Centre expressed concern about the ongoing situation and prayed for additional time for the forces to remain there, citing the “sensitivity of the ground situation”.
Currently, 17 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are stationed in Murshidabad’s violence-hit areas, particularly in Suti and Samserganj-Dhulian. These areas have seen significant unrest in recent days.
A separate petitioner also appealed to the High Court, requesting that the state government take action to ensure the return of people who were displaced due to the violence. Many people had to leave their homes to escape the tension and violence.
The state government responded to this request by informing the court that “some of the affected families have already returned to their homes“, indicating that resettlement efforts are already underway.
According to the petitioners, several people fled the violence in Murshidabad and took shelter in a relief camp set up in a school in the adjoining Malda district. The violence reportedly took place during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, leading to serious unrest in the area.
As violence escalated,
“Some police personnel were compelled to take shelter in a nearby mosque amid the violence, as the district administration requested the BSF to intervene to restore normalcy,”
another officer confirmed.
Later in the evening, the situation was brought under control.
“Things are under control now. There is heavy police deployment in the area. We are conducting raids to nab those behind today’s violence,” the officer told.
Due to the unrest, internet services remained suspended in affected areas like Jangipur, and prohibitory orders continued to stay in place.
ALSO READ: AIMPLB Demands Withdrawal of Waqf Amendment Bill, Plans Nationwide Protest
In Malda district, protesters blocked railway tracks, leading to a major disruption in train services. A group also attacked and vandalised a police vehicle during a protest in Amtala in South 24 Parganas.
The Eastern Railway confirmed that services were badly hit on the New Farakka-Azimganj section, due to
“obstruction and vandalism by a large group of people between Dhuliandanga-Nimtita stations.”
In the state capital Kolkata, students of Aliah University staged demonstrations at Park Circus. Rallies were also reported from the Khidirpur area.
Taking note of the unrest, Governor C V Ananda Bose gave strict instructions to the state government to take quick and strong action.
A senior Raj Bhavan official said:
“I have been receiving disturbing reports about some people taking law and order in their hands in some parts of West Bengal. Protest is welcome in democracy, but not violence. Public order cannot be disturbed and people’s lives cannot be tampered with in the name of protest. Strong action will be taken against the miscreants who think that they can take law in their hands,”
Governor Bose said in a video released by Raj Bhavan.
In addition to the event, Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha has approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, asking for strong action regarding the recent violent incidents that happened in Murshidabad, West Bengal.
He has filed a petition seeking a proper and fair investigation into the matter. According to him, the situation in the area is very serious, and steps must be taken quickly to protect the lives of people and maintain peace.
Another plea was filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari seeking the constitution of a five-member judicial enquiry commission headed by a former apex court judge to investigate the violence in the state.
One of the pleas has requested the Supreme Court to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the violence. But he wants this SIT to work under the watch of the Supreme Court itself, so that the investigation remains neutral and transparent.
He believes that this kind of court-monitored probe will help in finding the real reasons and people behind the violence.
His plea clearly asks for a “Court-monitored SIT probe.“
Apart from that, the advocate also wants the Supreme Court to make the West Bengal government answerable. He has asked the Court to seek a proper reply from the state government regarding the law and order failure that led to the violence.
He has said that it is important to know why such a situation was allowed to happen and what the state authorities were doing during that time.
His petition calls for the “WB govt’s reply on law & order failure.“
In addition to these demands, Advocate Jha is also urging the Court to order steps that will help protect the lives of common citizens and stop any further violence from taking place. He is worried that if proper actions are not taken now, then the situation might become even worse in the coming days.
That is why he is asking the Court to guide the state government to take strict measures.
His petition includes a clear request for “Steps to protect lives, prevent more violence.“
This move by Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha shows growing concern about the law and order situation in West Bengal.
