Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that Mamata Banerjee had made similar statements earlier during the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), but it was still implemented in West Bengal.
West Bengal: As protests broke out in West Bengal over the Waqf Amendment Act, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a clear announcement that the controversial law would not be implemented in the state. The protests turned violent in some areas, especially in Murshidabad district, where three people lost their lives.
In her response to the unrest, Mamata Banerjee made a heartfelt appeal to the people of the state through a post on social media platform X.
She said:
“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. Those who are inciting riots are harming society.”
She also added:
“We have made our position clear on this matter — we do not support this law. This law will not be implemented in our state. So what is the riot about.”
While the West Bengal chief minister tried to calm the situation, her decision not to implement the Waqf Amendment Act came under criticism from Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. He said that Mamata Banerjee had made similar statements earlier during the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), but it was still implemented in West Bengal.
Meghwal remarked:
“She made a similar statement during CAA. But CAA was implemented in Bengal. It is a law enacted by Parliament which is implemented pan-India. If there is a difficulty during its implementation, suggestions can be made during framing of rules.”
He was speaking at an event organised by the Law Ministry on the 135th birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar.
According to Meghwal, laws passed by Parliament must be followed across the entire country, including West Bengal. He said that if there are any practical problems in implementing such laws, then changes or suggestions can be made when the rules are being framed.
The situation in West Bengal remains tense as the government tries to manage the protests and the Centre insists on following the law.
Murshidabad Violence
According to police officials, the unrest started after Friday prayers when a large number of people gathered and blocked a part of National Highway-12, from Dakbanglo More in Shamsherganj to Sutir Sajur More, to protest against the Waqf Act.
A senior police officer said,
“The protests turned violent after the agitators hurled stones at a police van, resulting in a clash in which around 10 policemen were injured.”
To control the mob, the police had to lathi-charge and later use tear gas shells. Some protesters also reportedly threw bomb-like objects at police forces.
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.
Waqf (Amendment) Act
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was recently passed in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, after long debates.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 is a law that changes parts of the existing Waqf Act, 1995. The goal is to make the management of Waqf properties more efficient, transparent, and modern.
The original Waqf Act was made to regulate and manage Waqf properties – these are properties given for religious or charity purposes under Islamic law.
The Bill was first introduced in August 2024 and later sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which made some suggestions for changes.
