Bengal Burns Over New Waqf Law: 3 Dead, Hindus Flee Amid Communal Unrest

Kolkata: West Bengal is on the boil as violent protests against the new Waqf law erupted in Murshidabad district, leaving three people dead and hundreds arrested. Tensions flared as clashes broke out on Friday across several districts, including Malda, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly. The escalating unrest has forced hundreds of Hindus to flee their homes, prompting strong political backlash and raising concerns over the state’s law and order situation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed for calm, urging citizens not to fall prey to provocation. However, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, accusing it of failing to protect the Hindu community in the face of growing radicalism.

In a social media post, Adhikari alleged that more than 400 Hindus from Dhuliyan in Murshidabad were forced to flee across the river to seek refuge at Lalpur High School in Devanapur-Sovapur GP, Baisnabnagar, Malda. He described it as “true religious persecution” and blamed TMC’s appeasement politics for empowering extremist elements.

“Hindus are being targeted and driven from their own land. The state government should be ashamed of allowing law and order to collapse like this,” Adhikari stated, demanding that central paramilitary forces, state police, and district administration ensure the safe return of the displaced and protect them from what he called “jihadi terror.”

More than 400 Hindus from Dhulian, Murshidabad driven by fear of religiously driven bigots were forced to flee across the river & take shelter at Par Lalpur High School, Deonapur-Sovapur GP, Baisnabnagar, Malda.

Religious persecution in Bengal is real.

Appeasement politics of… pic.twitter.com/gZFuanOT4N

— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) April 13, 2025

The situation remains tense, with heavy police deployment across affected districts, including Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly, where violence broke out on Friday. Protests over the Waqf law have now spread to several parts of the country.

Murshidabad’s proximity to the Bangladesh border is being cited as a factor in the intensity of the protests seen in the region.