Bengal Waqf violence: CM Mamata Banerjee to visit Murshidabad at 'right time', asks governor to postpone visit

Days, after widespread violence erupted across parts of Murshidabad, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, announced on Thursday that she would visit the district once full normalcy is restored. She also urged Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who is expected to visit Murshidabad on Friday, to delay his trip by a few days.

 

“Though peace has largely returned, the administration is currently focused on restoring public confidence,” Banerjee said. “I could have gone, but I chose not to for a reason. I’ll visit at the right time. I request the governor and others to wait for a few days more,” she said during a press conference on being informed about the governor’s possible visit.

 

Governor Bose, meanwhile, met with several families displaced by the recent violence, which stemmed from protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. 

 

On Thursday, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar brought a group of affected people to meet the governor at Raj Bhavan.

“I am going to the field. Let me have a firsthand account of what happened in the field,” Bose told the media ahead of his meeting with displaced families. 

 

“They wanted to meet me so I said I would go there and meet them. But they preferred to come to the Raj Bhawan. So I cut short my [other] programs mainly to meet them,” he added. 

 

Violence broke out in Murshidabad last week amid ongoing protests against the amended Waqf law. Three people were killed, and hundreds were forced to flee their homes. Many sought refuge in neighbouring districts like Malda and Jharkhand, alleging that they were attacked and their homes torched.

 

Some displaced families have since returned, and arrangements are being made for the safe return of others. A school in Malda has been converted into a temporary relief camp to house those still unable to go back.

 

The situation has largely been brought under control jointly by the state police and the 17 companies of central forces that are deployed in tense areas such as Suti, Samserganj, and Dhulian. The West Bengal government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), and over 550 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

 

A total of four cases related to the violence in Murshidabad were filed in the Calcutta High Court. On Thursday, the cases were heard by a bench comprising Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury.

 

During the hearing, the centre submitted its report to the court. Additional Solicitor General Asok Kumar Chakrabarti requested an extension of the central forces' deployment. He also sought permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs to initiate an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing the severity of the incidents.

 

Counsel for West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged foreign involvement, claiming that the violence had links to Bangladesh. He pointed out that similar patterns of unrest were observed in other districts such as Malda, Howrah, and South 24 Parganas, suggesting a coordinated effort.

 

The state government, in its report, maintained that the law and order situation in Murshidabad was under control. The state's counsel argued that with senior police officials continuously monitoring the region and the SIT actively investigating the matter, an NIA probe was not necessary at this stage.

 

After hearing all parties, the High Court directed that the deployment of central forces continue until the next hearing. The bench also stressed the importance of prioritizing rehabilitation efforts and noted that, until such measures are fully implemented, the state remains responsible for maintaining peace and stability.

India