The outbreak of violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, which borders Bangladesh, saw several shops, homes, and vehicles being torched after protests against the Waqf law turned violent and resulted in three deaths. A large number of locals fled when violence broke out in the Muslim-majority district on April 11.
The violence-hit areas are limping back to normalcy after the deployment of central forces on the orders of the Calcutta High Court, but the unrest spilled over to the South 24 Parganas district on Monday when a protest led by the India Secular Front (ISF) turned violent.

More than 210 arrests have been made, and police claim the situation is normalising, but locals who fled are still in fear and unsure of returning when they recall the horrific scenes they had witnessed.

“The mob set fire to our neighbour’s house and pelted stones at ours. My parents and I hid inside and left in the evening when the mob was gone, as BSF had started patrolling by then. We only have the clothes we’re wearing. We somehow reached the ghat with the help of BSF,” said a woman.
“It was dark; we got on a boat and crossed the river. A family in the village on the other side gave us shelter for the night. The next day, we came to this shelter in school,” she added.

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“We have become refugees in our own land. We are now at the mercy of others,” the lady said, adding they fear returning, as what would happen if they attacked again.

Many families that fled from Suti, Dhulian, and Samaherganj are living in a shelter set up at a local school.

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Many narrated the series of events that forced them to flee and save their lives when the mob ran riot. The mob ransacked homes, and many of the displaced families were left with nothing to carry along when fleeing.

The local administration has provided essential supplies, but the longing to return home is still crackling.

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A resident of the violence-hit Dhuliyan area told ANI, “They (rioters) burnt down our grocery shop. They set our house on fire. We kept calling the police and fire brigade, but no one picked up the calls. They looted our homes and misbehaved with the women. We want a permanent camp (of the BSF) here so that this does not happen again. We want to live peacefully.”

Birendra Kumar Sharma, CRPF Inspector General for West Bengal, said the situation in the district is tense but under control. Eight CRPF companies, including 4 RAF companies, have been deployed in the area, he said.
“Wherever we have gone, they are asking the forces to establish permanent camps,” he added.

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The violence has sparked a political row in the state where assembly polls are due next year. The ruling Trinamool Congress accuses the BJP of fomenting trouble, while the BJP says that Mamata Banerjee’s “appeasement politics” has emboldened radical elements.
An initial probe into the massive violence over the Waqf law has revealed the involvement of Bangladeshi miscreants, said an India Today report, citing sources.

West Bengal has over 80,480 Waqf properties—second only to Uttar Pradesh’s 2.2 lakh.