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Tag: Waqf Bill

Before violence in Murshidabad, warning signs on social media
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Gaming

Before violence in Murshidabad, warning signs on social media

Rumours on WhatsApp groups, fake social media accounts and mass mobilisation came together to form the perfect storm in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, which was rocked by communal violence last week in the wake of the new Waqf law.Following the violence, which claimed three lives, police have blocked 1,093 social media accounts and arrested 221 people. Senior officials from the state police and the district administration, as well as residents The Indian Express spoke to, said that several outfits had called rallies to protest against the new law. The first sign of trouble was on April 8, when protesters clashed with police in Umarpur on National Highway 12 and torched two police jeeps. Story continues below this ad “When the first incident of violence was recorded, police use...
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9 arrested in Bengal’s Bhangar after Waqf protestors clash with police
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9 arrested in Bengal’s Bhangar after Waqf protestors clash with police

Following Monday’s “hooliganism” in the Bhangar division, which erupted during protests demanding the withdrawal of the Waqf Amendment Act, Kolkata Police said they have made a total of nine arrests. According to police sources, eight individuals were arrested from Uttar Kashipore, and one was arrested from Chandaneswar. Authorities have stated that the “search is on to arrest others.” “So far, nine have been arrested, raids are on, no one involved will be spared,” said a senior Kolkata Police official. The arrests followed an overnight search operation. Initially, three individuals were arrested during the night, with the remaining six being taken into custody “after conducting a search late at night.” Story continues below this ad The arrested individuals face “multiple ...
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Bengal communal violence: ‘We have become refugees in our own land… We may never return’
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Bengal communal violence: ‘We have become refugees in our own land… We may never return’

Murshidabad Violence Update: Her eight-day-old baby in her lap, Saptami Mondol (24) sat on a tarpaulin sheet inside a classroom of a high school in Parlalpur, which has been converted into a shelter after communal violence broke out in West Bengal’s Murshidabad last week.Saptami, who is among the 400 men, women and children taking refuge at the school after fleeing their homes, is unsure if she will ever return to her village — located across the Ganga or 60 kilometres by road. The violence over the new Waqf law has already claimed three lives, including father and son Hargobindo Das (72) and Chandan Das (40), who were dragged out of their home by a mob and killed. Story continues below this ad While more than 200 arrests have been made and police claim the situation is no...
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10 months in Opposition, how Naveen Patnaik is facing challenge to his leadership
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Politics

10 months in Opposition, how Naveen Patnaik is facing challenge to his leadership

On Monday, senior BJD leader and Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain became the latest voice of dissent after a letter he wrote to Patnaik became public. In the strongly worded letter, Swain, an eight-time MLA, urged the party chief to not let a few individuals “hijack the BJD and distort the social fabric or deepen regional imbalance”.Expressing concerns over the functioning of the party, Swain called for structural reforms within the BJD. “This is a time to reclaim our ideological legacy,” Swain wrote in his letter, which ThePrint has seen.Speaking to ThePrint Sunday, Nrusingha Sahu said he was going to stand by what he said. He said that six days before the hotel meeting, senior leaders met Patnaik and expressed concerns about the party’s U-turn on the waqf bill, which the Rajya Sabha pa...
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Murshidabad Waqf protests: Senior BSF officer to reassess deployment of forces, Governor directs relief efforts
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Murshidabad Waqf protests: Senior BSF officer to reassess deployment of forces, Governor directs relief efforts

Amidst a tense but reportedly controlled situation in Murshidabad and parts of Malda in West Bengal following violent protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Ravi Gandhi, Additional Director General (ADG) of the Border Security Force (BSF) Eastern Command, is scheduled to visit the affected areas. According to senior BSF officials, Gandhi will inspect all the troubled spots to comprehensively understand the ground reality. The visit is expected to lead to a reassessment of the current deployment of BSF personnel. “There could be changes in deployment after his visit. BSF personnel will be mobilised accordingly,” a senior BSF official stated, indicating a potential strategic reshuffle based on the ADG’s observations. Currently, nine BSF companies are deployed in the affected regions. The...
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Protests against Waqf law | At Bengal’s Ground Zero, grief and fear cut across divide: ‘Who will give justice?’
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Protests against Waqf law | At Bengal’s Ground Zero, grief and fear cut across divide: ‘Who will give justice?’

“We kept calling the police after the attacks started. No one answered. Even after they hacked my husband and father-in-law to death, the bodies lay near our house for three hours,” said 32-year-old Pinki Das, clutching her six-year-old daughter who was seated on her lap, on Sunday. The father and son were among the three killed in the violence Friday, and at least 15 policemen were injured. Later, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of Central Armed Forces in the affected areas. According to the state government, over 150 people have been arrested so far. Story continues below this ad “Who will give me justice? How will we live now?” asked Pinki, recalling the “terrifying” moments when her home, in Jafrabad village under the Samserganj police station, was rans...
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BJP MP urges Centre to declare 4 Bengal districts as ‘Disturbed Areas’ under AFSPA
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BJP MP urges Centre to declare 4 Bengal districts as ‘Disturbed Areas’ under AFSPA

BJP’s Purulia MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging the Centre to declare select bordering districts of West Bengal as “disturbed areas” under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), alleging repeated attacks on the Hindu community. In his letter dated April 13, Mahato alleged that districts such as Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia and South 24 Parganas have witnessed violence against Hindus, with the state administration turning a “blind eye” due to what he called the ruling Trinamool Congress’ “appeasement” politics. He claimed that over 86 Hindu homes and shops were looted or destroyed in Murshidabad district recently and that civilians, including a man named Hargobindo Das and his son, were murdered. In Jhaubona village, he said, betel leaf plant...
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Waqf protests spiral in Murshidabad, 3 killed; court orders deployment of central forces
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Waqf protests spiral in Murshidabad, 3 killed; court orders deployment of central forces

Protests that began in the wake of Parliament passing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill spiralled into violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, where three people were killed, 15 police personnel injured, and 118 arrested. Appealing for calm, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked people not to do “non-religious activity in the name of religion” and said the law will not be enacted in the state. The Calcutta High Court, meanwhile, ordered that central forces be deployed in Murshidabad until Thursday.Protests started in some districts in the state shortly after the Bill was passed, with various outfits taking out rallies where people participated. According to the police, one of the deceased received bullet injuries at the Sajurmore crossing area on Friday. He is yet to be identified. A father and son,...
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Protest against Waqf law turns violent in Murshidabad again, TMC MP’s office ransacked
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Protest against Waqf law turns violent in Murshidabad again, TMC MP’s office ransacked

Violence erupted in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Friday again during a protest against the amended Waqf law as people torched a police jeep and ransacked several vehicles and motorbikes in Jangipur area. The office of local TMC MP Khalilur Rehman was also ransacked. A huge contingent of police force has been deployed in the area and prohibitory orders have been imposed. Internet services have also been suspended in the district. Story continues below this ad “Police have been deployed and they are dominating the area. We are ascertaining the damages,” Murshidabad District Magistrate Rajarshi Mitra told The Indian Express. According to police, hundreds of people blocked National Highway 12 at Shajurmore crossing near Dhulian under Jangipur subdivision on Thursday ...
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When Parliament stayed awake through the night
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Opinion

When Parliament stayed awake through the night

Opposition MPs protest in the Lok Sabha against the Waqf Amendment Bill during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: ANI The recently concluded Budget session of Parliament found its place in history. Both Houses sat through the night, closing only before sunrise, when parts of Delhi were just beginning to stir. The productivity of the Lok Sabha was 118% and that of the Rajya Sabha was 119% — numbers that certainly made the presiding officers happy.This was a rare and significant occasion, but it does not fall into the category of ‘first-ever since Independence’ — a phrase we hear about nearly every event post-2014. For me, though, it was the first as a parliamentary reporter. At 8:30 ...
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‘Didi is here, will protect you and your property’: Mamata Banerjee’s promise to minorities amid concerns over Waqf law
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‘Didi is here, will protect you and your property’: Mamata Banerjee’s promise to minorities amid concerns over Waqf law

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday promised to resolve the concerns of minorities and assured them of her support in the wake of the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.Declaring that it was her policy to allow everyone to live, Banerjee said, “If others don’t have the right to take my property, similarly I have no right to take others’ property… They say I don’t give protection for the Hindu dharma in Bengal. If I don’t, then who does? I must also give credit to minorities that they have nicely celebrated Hindus festivals also in Bengal and I am proud to say that.” She was addressing members of the Jain community during a programme organised to celebrate Navkar Mahamantra Day. Story continues below this ad “I will say one thing to minorities… ...
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After Waqf land, govt aims to grab Hindu temple land: Aaditya Thackeray
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After Waqf land, govt aims to grab Hindu temple land: Aaditya Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said after Waqf land, the BJP-led government now aims to grab land of Hindu temples for its “builder friends”. “Why talk about Waqf alone, see what is happening in Ayodhya. Lodha and Adani are taking lands there. Same is happening in Prayagraj. It might happen in Pandharpur. They (BJP) are already eyeing Church land. They will target land of Buddhists as well,” he said, addressing a press conference in Mumbai. Aaditya said even Hindus should join the protest against the Waqf Bill. “Tell me one thing that is benefiting Hindus out of it (the Act). Instead our lands will now come in danger. I think even Hindus should join the protests,” he said. Aaditya also slammed the government saying it has failed to deliver on the promises it made in the...
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AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan moves Supreme Court challenging Waqf Bill, claims it ‘curtails religious autonomy’
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AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan moves Supreme Court challenging Waqf Bill, claims it ‘curtails religious autonomy’

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi MLA Amanatullah Khan has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it “arbitrary” and “unconstitutional”. Khan, who moved a writ petition under Article 32 (remedies for enforcement of fundamental rights) of the Constitution, claimed that the Bill curtails the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims and enables arbitrary executive interference, along with undermining minority rights. “The Bill violates fundamental rights enshrined under Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 300-A of the Constitution. It curtails the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims, enables arbitrary executive interference, and undermines minority rights to manage their religious and charitable institutions. Story continues below this ad ...
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Eknath Shinde slams Uddhav Thackeray over opposition to Waqf Bill, calls him a ‘use and throw’ leader
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Eknath Shinde slams Uddhav Thackeray over opposition to Waqf Bill, calls him a ‘use and throw’ leader

Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday launched a blistering attack on Uddhav Thackeray for opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, accusing him of abandoning Hindutva and Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy forever. “By opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill, Uddhav Thackeray has completely turned his back on Hindutva and the ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray. His stance has not only exposed his ideological confusion but also cast a shadow over his political future,” Shinde said. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Shinde said that Thackeray’s opposition to the Bill had disappointed even his colleagues, many of whom still hold Balasaheb’s principles dear. “Yesterday was an unfortunate day for him,” he remarked, alluding to Thackeray’s political missteps. ...
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Here’s what JPC report on Waqf Bill redacted from Opposition’s dissent notes
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Here’s what JPC report on Waqf Bill redacted from Opposition’s dissent notes

New Delhi: Amid political furore over portions of dissent notes blackened and whitened out in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf Amendment Bill tabled in Rajya Sabha Thursday, the Centre restored some of the redacted parts through a corrigendum. BJP MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni tabled the corrigendum to Appendix 5 of the report containing “Notes/minutes of dissent received from the Members of the Joint Committee”. It included some of the redactions that led to an uproar in Parliament. A look at the report tabled in the Upper House Thursday morning, and the corrigendum in the afternoon, show that the portions that were redacted from the dissent notes either raise questions on the conduct of JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal or criticise the “political agenda” of the BJP be...
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