Murshidabad Violence: Bengal Police Constitutes Nine-Member Team To Probe Strife In Samserganj, Jangipur
The West Bengal Police has constituted a nine-member SIT for the investigation of cases of the violence in Samserganj and other areas of Jangipur Police District. All the police officials have been directed to report by 12 p.m. tomorrow.
According to news agency ANI, quoting officials, the situation in West Bengal's Dhuliyan town in the Jangipur subdivision of the Murshidabad district is under control after the violent protests staged against the Waqf (Amendment) Act on April 11. The security personnel, including the BSFP and CRPF, have been deployed in the area, and authorities have stated that the situation is under control now.
Speaking to news agency ANI, One shopkeeper described the devastation: "My entire building has been destroyed. All the glass has shattered. The rear side of the building was weak—it had wooden windows and doors. They broke through that and entered inside. They caused complete destruction and even looted some of our belongings. Opposite my building, I have a shop. They broke the shutter of that shop too. Monday was a bank holiday, so I received all the payments on Tuesday. I had around Rs13.5 lakh in cash with me. The cash was meant to be deposited at the bank, but it was all stolen. Apart from that, my shop had furniture and equipment worth Rs7-8 lakh, including chairs, tables, CPUs, computers, and laptops. Altogether, I had nearly Rs20-25 lakh in losses."
Another local shopkeeper, Adhir Ravi Das, shared his plight: "My shop has been completely damaged. Nothing is left. If the administration helps, we will be able to open the shop; otherwise, nothing can be done. Materials worth Rs 6-7 lakhs were in the shop; everything has been burnt. We want peace. Since BSF is here, the situation is normal. We don't know what will happen if BSF is removed from here. We want a BSF camp here."
The security forces continue to patrol sensitive areas to maintain order, and the administration has urged residents to remain calm and to resume normal activities.
News agency PTI, quoting officials, reported that the security forces kept a strict vigil to prevent any fresh episode of violence over Waqf in Murshidabad on Tuesday. The state police said that the situation in the riot-hit parts of Murshidabad is gradually returning to normal, with the shops reopening and displaced families starting to come back.
Violent protests erupted on Friday and Saturday in pockets of the district, including Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur, following anger over the amended Waqf Act.
The demonstrations soon escalated into clashes, leaving at least three people dead and several injured.
TMC MP from Jangipur, Khalilur Rahman, said, “many among those having left their homes are returning and life is getting back to normal in all the violence-hit pockets. The state government is assisting the affected people”.
Rahman also said people should guard against heeding rumors to ensure that “we should not do anything to prevent normalcy from returning”.
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