After three people were killed amid protests against the new waqf law, the situation in West Bengal’s Murshidabad remains tense, necessitating the continued presence of security forces, the Border Security Force said on Sunday while announcing the deployment of five more companies of the force.
“Since yesterday four companies have been deployed. Today 5 additional companies have been deployed to control the situation and prevent any violence. We are moving our resources immediately to those areas from where we are getting information of disturbance,” Nilotpal Kumar Pandey, BSF DIG and PRO (South Bengal Frontier) told The Indian Express.
“The mob was so violent that to contain the situation we had to fire in Ghospara yesterday. Our vehicles have been torched, vandalised, jawans have also received minor injuries in clashes,” a senior BSF officer said on the condition of anonymity, adding that there were no injuries in the firing.
The situation in Suti and Samsherganj continues to be grim, the officer said. “Even today BSF officials said a huge crowd was moving towards the Mahadevpur area in Samsherganj. Accordingly, a massive BSF contingent has moved to the area,” the officer added.
Officials said BSF personnel were “directly targeted” in numerous areas, while police had relatively easier access.
The protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act spiralled into widespread violence in the district, resulting in three deaths and the arrest of at least 150 people. On Saturday, the Calcutta High Court directed the immediate deployment of central armed police forces in Murshidabad and other sensitive areas.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the various reports that have surfaced, which prima facie show vandalism in a few districts of the State of West Bengal,” said a bench led by Justice Soumen Sen.
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